Excalibur
by Kiki Hikari
Summary: Kuina was raised to believe certain things, things that have kept her alive until now. Marines are good, pirates are bad. But an order to kill a group of pirates and an encounter with a childhood friend and Kuina doesn't know which side she stands on anymore. After all, how do you choose between your home and your friends?
1. Prologue

'Excalibur'

**For anyone who doesn't know, this is a rewrite of my previous story 'Faith' to make it more interesting, realistic, and, well, generally better overall~**

**WARNING: There will be some spoilers so read at your own risk!**

**Enjoy~~**

* * *

**Prologue**

Before dawn was my favourite time to hunt. The morning fog of the ocean made for easy captures and also served as a good invisible cloak. It was particularly heavy today, settling around the ship and parting like curtains as we slowly made our way through.

In the distance, about fifty metres away, a dark shadow disrupted the fog. I stiffened, my hand going automatically to my sword secured vertically along my spine. I paused.

"Is that it?" I asked in a low voice. In the silent fog, it seemed much louder. The ship was thirty metres away now. They probably already spotted us at least.

"No doubt," said a man from the crow's nest. He leaned down and nodded once at me; my cue to go.

I wasted no time, stepping on the rail of our ship and leaping to the other, catching the splintered wood and swinging myself over, landing relatively quietly.

To my left, a gun loaded.

I ducked, narrowly missing the bullet and ran forward, unsheathing my sword.

The man was down in less than five seconds. I covered his mouth with my hand.

"Quiet now," I said, waiting until he was unconscious and dragged him to the front of the deck, "The rest of your crew are here anyway."

I spun, raising my sword and blocking a large mace wielded by a large muscled man. Grunting, I pushed him off balance and made a cut across his chest, immediately moving onto the next one.

_Next. Right. Left. Block. Strike. _The words drilled into me kept repeating as each member fell.

A strangled cry escaped the last member, a woman, as she fell on top of her defeated crew. I checked the deck, listened for any sounds and sheathed my sword. Then I leaned against the railing and got out my Den Den Mushi.

"It's done. Come get them," I said after the Vice Admiral picked up.

"Did you get all of the ones on the Wanted list?"

"Yes."

"List them."

I poked around the group, naming the few I recognised.

"'Knife' Ren, 22, 000, 000 Beli, Abe the Warrior, 27, 000, 000 Beli, 'Hawkeye' Wren, 33, 000, 000 Beli."

"Is that it?"

"There may be more, I can't remember them all."

The ship finally arrived and men started moving the pirates onto the deck and tying them with rope.

"We're going back to headquarters for now. Good work today," the Vice Admiral said to me. He moved on and yelled orders to guard the pirates and take their ship, supplies and weapons. I sat down at the front of the ship, leaning against the railing and propped my sword up beside me, watching the pirates.

It was strange; the pirates looked so peaceful asleep and defenceless. Each of their faces was shallow and somewhat pale; probably living on little food. It wasn't uncommon this far into the Grand Line but it was interesting. I'd seen starving faces, fat faces, evil faces, innocent faces, child faces, but every one of them looked the same in fear.

_In the end, everyone is the same when they're afraid, _I thought, looking at the pirates' faces, thinking of their fear right before I sliced them down.

* * *

The pirates ended up being worth a fair bit put together. After I received my share, higher-ranked soldiers escorted me through the winding corridors; a muscled one in front and a lean, slightly tense one taking up the rear.

"It's good you got back," the muscled one finally spoke, breaking the silence, "Sir was getting impatient. He seems… particularly frantic about killing this group. Sir requested specifically for you to take the job."

I raised an eyebrow, "Where are the others?" Apart from me, there were around thirty or so others that bore the same mark I did. Though it was hard to keep track of them; we didn't know each other's identities even amongst ourselves.

"Out on missions," said the lean one behind me, "There are only so many of you to fulfil every one of their death sentences. More notorious pirates are appearing every day."

I stayed silent; after all, I couldn't argue.

Soon, after walking through unending halls that seemed to resemble more of a maze, the muscled man stopped in front of large, elegant double doors. They were several metres taller than us, encrusted with glistening red jewels and adorned with large pure-gold door knockers. I looked at it and couldn't help but think that a thousand people could live comfortably for the rest of their lives from one door alone.

Ten guards stood on duty, five on each side. When we approached, a huge man stepped forward.

"Who are you and what business do you have?"

I stepped around my muscled escort and lifted the hood off my head, my tumble of navy hair falling carefully in place over the space between my shoulder blades. I looked the guard in the eye, "Saint Charloss' 1st Assassin. I was told to report here."

I turned and lifted my hair over one shoulder, baring my mark to him. It was the mark of the World Noble, but slightly different so it distinguished us from the slaves. Sharp vines wrapped around each claw of the 'hoof' which was supposed to signify us being permanently bound to the World Nobles.

The guard looked at it for a second and nodded, "It's real." He turned and signalled with his arm. The other guards began opening the doors, only large enough for one person to go through. I nodded thanks and slipped through. The doors shut immediately behind me.

"There you are!" a loud voice filled the room almost as quickly as the door shut, "Why have you kept me waiting so long?"

I looked up and flinched.

Saint Charloss sat at the head of a large glass table, hugely swollen, bruised face and all. His family members sat on the left side and, rarely, all three Admirals on the right. An empty seat was at the end of the table; for me I supposed, so I sat down and received a glare from Akainu. I brushed him off, "Good afternoon."

"It most definitely is not!" screamed Saint Charloss, "D' you see what happens when you leave for a mere day?" I assumed he meant his swollen face.

"I couldn't help it, Sir, you ordered me to capture the pirate crew," I said, "We couldn't have gotten back any quicker than now."

"An insolent child!" exclaimed Saint Shalulia, "Does she not know her place?"

"I'm sure she does," said Admiral Aokiji, surprisingly speaking up but he gave me a look, "And I'm sure she knows she can just as easily be replaced."

Admiral Kizaru actually laughed, "I think you're wrong there, Kuzan."

Akainu scoffed.

"How about we get back to the issue at hand?" Saint Roswald said, sounding irritated. Saint Shalulia glared at everyone sitting opposite her in agreement.

"Fine," I said. I placed my sword on the table and sat properly, since I was curious too, "What happened when I left?"

"You remember the Enies Lobby incident," Aokiji said it as a statement.

"Of course," I said. I wasn't there since it happened so suddenly but news had drifted to Sabaody Archipelago of a small pirate crew that broke into the place and defied the World Government, defeated the CP9 and even managed to escape, something that was unheard of before.

"Their bounties rose significantly since then, the Straw Hat Pirates…" I murmured, watching my reflection in the shiny, flawless glass deep in thought.

"With their strength, it was no surprise that they made it here," said Kizaru.

I frowned, "Yesterday?"

Aokiji nodded, "They arrived yesterday and also brought a mermaid with them."

"A mermaid?" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, though who knows how they got one what with almost half of them not being able to swim," said Akainu. He glared at Aokiji, "Just hurry up with the story, Kuzan."

"In short, the mermaid was captured and was prepared to be auctioned off at the Auction House. Saint Charloss bid 500, 000, 000 Beli on her and Straw Hat Luffy, Pirate Hunter Zoro—"

I flinched.

"—and a fishman all burst into the house according to witnesses. Saint Charloss then shot the fishman, Straw Hat punched Saint Charloss and… well, the rest is self-explanatory."

"Punched him?" I looked at Saint Charloss' face out of pure disbelief. It made perfect sense but it was unheard of. Then again, the Straw Hat Pirates were also a crew that was completely in a league of their own… Suddenly it hit me what I was called here for.

"This is why all of you assembled," I said, looking at the three Admirals. Usually only one was present whenever a Noble had a job for me.

"This was an emergency situation," shrugged Aokiji, "And one that we must take care of quickly."

Saint Charloss spoke calmly but it was scarier than if he'd shouted it. The room was dead quiet.

"1st Assassin, Excalibur, I order you to murder the Straw Hat Pirates."

I couldn't look at his face when he said that; I could only stare at my reflection.

I knew it was true then, what I'd thought about on the marine ship just a day earlier and now sitting in some fancy room in Mariejois.

Everyone's face, no matter whether a pirate, marine, Noble, or an assassin like me, looked exactly the same in fear.

* * *

**So, new story~ :D**

**I'm going to change things up a bit from the original so I'll put little notes before each chapter~**

**Hope you enjoyed~**


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

It was two years ago that the World Noble, Saint Charloss, ordered me to kill the Straw Hat Pirates. He had never given up on that, still holding a big grudge to this day and I was never given a different assignment, nor did anyone volunteer to help or take my place.

The Straw Hat Pirates had mysteriously disappeared at Sabaody two years ago without a trace, yet their ship still remained here. Then the Battle of Marineford took place over Portgas D. Ace's execution. It was a bloody war, with the deaths of Fire Fist Ace and Whitebeard himself as well as the near-death state of Monkey D. Luffy. During the War, it was too hard to get near the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, let alone kill him, for everyone was defending him so I didn't bother, instead focussing on the Commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates. Later I was reprimanded for that, however I had my reasons; and now it couldn't be too difficult to kill him in his depressed state and that wound from Akainu. But I could never find him, or the rest of his crew.

The popular opinion was that he was dead, a forgotten legend that caused chaos while he lived. I wasn't sure I believed that, though it would have made my job a lot easier.

Aokiji and Vice Admiral Garp also left the Marines. I always wondered if Aokiji only left because he lost to Akainu and if Garp had left due to the death of his supposed adoptive grandson. Either way, it was a huge loss for the Marines. In a way, I even missed their easy-going (well, as easy-going as it got) attitudes to the Marines. But my curiosity was stronger than anything else.

* * *

I got dressed in the spacious room I lived in, much simpler compared to the other rooms in Mariejois but just as nice. It was large but simple with basic furniture and features as well as an extensive, custom-made wardrobe as even the assassins of Nobles had to look presentable.

My outfits were always very basic though; a maroon wrap-around shirt, white T-shirt, black jacket with a high collar and dark jeans and boots. My straight hair was always down and just long enough so it covered the permanent mark between my shoulder blades. I was also always required to wear a black cloak with a hood and whilst outside to conceal my identity from everyone else.

A loud knock almost made me jump as I closed my wardrobe doors, followed by a series of frantic knocking.

"Excalibur!" yelled a voice, male and panicked.

I quickly threw on my cloak, making sure the hood shadowed my eyes and opened the door, "What is it?"

The man breathed heavily. He probably ran a long way to my room so I gave him a minute before repeating my question.

"T-The Straw Hats!" he finally gasped.

My eyes widened in shock, "What?"

"The Straw Hat Pirates are here – on Sabaody!" he said, "They're stronger! They have allies!"

"Allies? Who?" I said, grasping the man's shoulders. The Whitebeard Pirates? Would they really come all this way just to back up Straw Hat Luffy?

I remembered the way they'd protected him at Marineford, like he was their family. Yes, yes they would.

"We don't know," said the man, "There are huge beasts, Okamas—"

"Okamas?" I said.

"And – and Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh!"

At that name, I ran back in my room and took my sword, running until I was out of Mariejois and running through the panicked crowds of Sabaody. All around me, I kept hearing the same name.

Straw Hat Pirates… Then they had to be genuine. No other group could cause this much chaos on an island.

An explosion suddenly erupted, in a grove to my right.

It had to be. I ran there, bursting into a clearing.

My foot caught on something. I looked down at a clean-cut line straight through the earth and several centimetres deep and stepped over to one side. I looked up at the scene.

About fifty marines all gathered on one side of the line, completely armed but frozen still.

_What the hell are they doing? _I thought in frustration. But then I realised who was standing on the other side of the line and charging at me right now, sword raised.

I blocked just in time, the force knocking me back a few steps.

Rayleigh didn't hesitate, thrusting his sword at my mid-section. I deflected it and went for the quickest kill, his heart but he blocked it.

For several seconds, we were locked there, neither giving way. Though unlike me, Rayleigh looked completely at ease.

"I thought you'd have left the Marines by now," he said lowly, so no one else could hear, "What's the nickname they gave you? 'Excalibur'?"

"I thought you'd have stayed retired, old man," I retorted, "Or 'Dark King' Rayleigh."

"Not with this much excitement on the island," he replied, ignoring his epithet; suddenly dragging his sword off mine, making a drilling screech and used his hilt to knock the sword out of my hand. It flew straight up, spinning.

_Shit._

I watched as his sword curved, ready to slice me in two.

I raised an arm, watching it discolour and felt the sharp edge of the metal against it.

Even Rayleigh made a surprised sound at that, "Haki?"

I smiled and deflected his sword, getting pushed back as a result. My Haki wore off, leaving only a slight bruise. I frowned. I still had to work on that.

Suddenly, someone in a Marine coat pushed past me.

"Oi!" I yelled at whoever it was.

"Quit screwing around!" yelled back the man.

I hesitated, suddenly recognising him; Sentomaru, an assistant of Vegapunk. He wielded an axe and had been approved as a full-fledged marine officer over the two years, I remembered.

My sword was falling from the sky above me. I caught it and Sentomaru barked at me, "Stop engaging in pointless battles, Excalibur! Remember your mission!"

Capture and kill the Straw Hat Pirates. That was what I was supposed to be doing.

"Hurry up before they leave!" Sentomaru shouted.

I was reluctant to leave Sentomaru to Rayleigh by himself but I shook myself. The Straw Hats could become an even bigger threat than Rayleigh if I left them now. I nodded and ran.

* * *

Up until now, I hadn't even considered how troublesome it was to sneak onto a coated ship. Especially with a sword, while it was submerging.

But right now, it was one chance or none. I dived off the land into the ocean, relying on my Haki to sense any cannonballs flying toward me. But luckily, Boa Hancock, all of people, was helping me as well as the Straw Hats, stopping all the cannonballs with her power. I swam quickly, knowing that I had to get onto the ship before it fully submerged or they would see me clearly from their deck.

I wasn't ready to face him yet. With that thought, I swam quicker and reached the back railing in under a minute. Hoping for the best, I pushed my hand into the bubble and secured the dry railing. I waited. The bubble rippled but didn't break. I eased my sword in silently and climbed in as quietly as I could. As soon as I was in, I didn't take any chances and moved into the first room I saw. It was a storage room, I guessed with plenty of food neatly organised, rope, boxes, barrels and jars of some plants I didn't recognise. I squeezed myself between two large barrels so I wouldn't be seen right away if someone came in and contemplated my options.

The easiest strategy would be to cut the bubble. Four members out of nine couldn't swim and it would be easy to kill them in water. Then again, that left five able fighters up against one of me. One member of the five could guard a Devil Fruit eater each and one could fight me.

I could end up fighting him. An image of him as a child flashed across my mind and I immediately pushed that aside as soon as it came.

_Freaking hell Kuina, you can't nitpick, _I scolded myself. This was the best solution. The quicker the better. I stood up and checked outside for any people but they all seemed to be at the deck.

I opened the door and walked out, unsheathing my sword.

A huge collision rocked the ship.

I swore in my head, grabbing the door handle of the storage door to keep from falling.

"What now?" I muttered, sheathing my sword for now. I couldn't risk dropping it and making a sound. Quietly, I crept around to the edge of the wall and peeked around. I couldn't see who had intruded onto the ship and if he was innocent, I couldn't risk putting them in danger if I cut the bubble now.

_Wait._

In my training, waiting was a double-edged sword. It was both a blessing and a curse.

_Use your best judgement._

I unsheathed my sword. If there was some innocent guy, I would just have to save him or live with the fact that I killed him. If it was an ally of the Straw Hats or, better yet, a Devil Fruit eater pirate, then all the better.

Suddenly a Sea King swam past, pulling a huge pirate ship, easily twice the size of the Straw Hats' ship. I flinched and hesitated, unable to slice, knowing an innocent, scared Sea King would get hit.

After it left, I realised the seriousness of my mistake and swore in my head.

It was a pirate ship, Kuina! Thousands of Sea Kings were killed every day for food alone; all you were doing was bringing down a pirate crew with it!

With a frustrated sigh, I raised my sword again but was interrupted _again _by an ear-splitting crack and a colossal shadow enveloped me. I looked up in alarm at the orange tentacle shooting up and moving erratically as if it had a mind of its own. I searched the ocean for the source of the crack sound. All that remained were splinters of wood, the retreating back of the Sea King and a group of floating bodies.

"They look like a school of jellyfish," I heard someone remark from the deck.

Despite my best intentions, I couldn't help a twitch of a smile.

But this was a problem. I had heard legends of a Kraken in the ocean, a mythical creature that no one had survived to tell the tale.

_Just one fucking thing after another, _I cursed, but I couldn't risk leaving now and killing the Kraken in case I couldn't get back in in time. I just hoped the Straw Hats dealt with it.

From the sounds of it, they sent three people out, one definitely being the captain from his voice. I guessed they used some coating around themselves to protect them from the ocean, considering the captain was a Devil Fruit eater.

_I'll have to wait for them to come back. _There was no point in popping the bubble now, killing the remaining members on the deck and then fighting three others in the ocean, with limited oxygen. When they returned from killing the Kraken, I could pop the coating, steal the bubble suits and complete my mission. It seemed fairly straight-forward.

But fighting a Kraken was no easy task. The ship rocked so much, I had to retreat back into the storage room and keep about twenty small glass jars from breaking around me. I propped my sword against them to keep them from moving.

Suddenly the ship almost spun in a full circle, causing all the jars to fall off the shelf at once. I grabbed my sword and balanced each of them along its length whilst my other hand grabbed a box to keep balance. The ship righted itself only to make a sharp right which threw me against the wall and smashed the jars, the contents spilling like rain around my feet. The ship flew left, then upside-down and right as if someone was gripping the ship and shaking it violently. Shakily standing up, leaning against the door, I sneaked a look outside. All I could see was a deep navy blue and occasional grey rocks, spinning around outside the coating.

_They're caught in a sea current, _I thought as the ship spun again, lifting boxes off the ground. I inhaled a short breath of a gasp when my head hit against the wooden shelf, the only thing perfectly still in this hell. I was aware of landing among the broken pieces of glass but the little scratches I received were nothing compared to the throbbing headache I had.

I blacked out.

* * *

When I woke, I realised I slept for a hell of a long time, hours, maybe even longer. My head still throbbed and I dropped little circles of blood from my arm when I moved it. The ground was a bit damp for some reason and my clothes and hair were soaked. When I coughed, some salty seawater found its way to my throat. Had I almost drowned while I was unconscious? My head throbbed again; it probably had a wicked bruise.

But my thinking was still fairly functional.

The ship should have been the deep ocean, dark and mingling with dangerous sea creatures. The ship should still be coated and dry. Where was the ocean anyway? I squinted my eyes against the light that filtered through the storage window and stood shakily, my hand still gripping my sword. I made my way to the door and pushed it open, standing in the warm natural sunlight that filtered through the trees.

Trees, in the ocean.

Around the ship were many remains and wrecks, contrasting with the green grass and soft light.

_Where am I? _I tried to make sense of what happened with no luck. My mind was too foggy.

A figure approached me from the railing, slightly startled at the door opening so suddenly, "Well now, who are you?" he asked. His tone was light and friendly. The light shone against his back, causing his front to be dark with shadows. I couldn't make out his face.

I kept my hand on my sword and asked in a quiet, shaky voice; my voice threatening to break, "Where am I?"

The light changed, softly illuminating the left side of his face and I flinched, a surprised sound escaping my throat. But my eyes flicked down. He had a tail.

My head tightened even more on the hilt of the sword. If I was really on this island, the fact that I was a human alone, an _armed _human, meant a target on my back.

The guy's eyes noticed my death grip on my sword but didn't bat an eye, keeping his same tone as he spoke.

"Fishman Island."

* * *

**So! Just a note… If you've watched/read about this arc already, you'd know about what happened in the island's history involving World Nobles and Fishmen. So the next chapter is pretty significant.**

**After that, the story will split off into its own storyline so no Punk Hazard or anything. **

**Read and Review~~ **


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

"Fishman Island?" I repeated, more in awe than shock. So this was the beautiful island; the island that less than fifty per cent of those who tried to go here got to. I looked around again, taking in the perfect nature, the streamers of filtered golden light and the slight, whispering wind.

The fishman only nodded. He seemed a cheerful guy with a grin on his face, white hair topped with a black hat and a simple T-shirt with a design of a four-leaf clover on it. He also donned a belt with a bag of tools attached and a light blue shirt tied at where his torso met his tail.

"Right now, you are in the Sea Forest," he said, "Or more specifically, the Ship Graveyard."

I looked around, "Doesn't seem like much of a graveyard."

He chuckled at that, "I do believe human graveyards are more… dark than this." He tilted his head, surveying me, "You might want to stand in the sun."

I remembered my wet clothes then and nodded, walking around to the front of the deck. It was strange, walking around on this ship, as if I belonged here. On other ships, I'd never given a second thought that I was walking around on someone's home. But here, I felt as if I was intruding on something I wasn't welcome to. I sat down on the sunniest spot, the bench that was designed around one of the masts.

The fishman swam around to the deck after me and began probing along the railings, checking for damage I supposed. But he seemed satisfied and continued surveying the other features, such as the crow's nest. There he stopped and withdrew a tool, fixing some invisible flaw.

"Are you part of Franky's crew?" he asked casually.

I almost let slip, "Who?" before I remembered. Infiltrate, gain trust and destroy. It was a longer procedure but it was the more successful method, especially for more experienced and dangerous pirates like these.

"Yes," I answered, my tone perfectly even, "How do you know Franky?"

"I'm Den," he replied, "The younger brother of Tom, Franky's mentor."

I nodded, "Oh, I see." General information about the Straw Hat members passed through Marine headquarters allowed me to keep up with the conversation at least.

"Unfortunately, I don't think any of your crew are around here," said Den, running his fingers over the seemingly smooth mast, frowning, "They may have been flung off when they entered the island."

"Really?" my voice sounded more exasperated than I intended. _Do I have to go hunting for them?_

Den was looking at me curiously. I realised I said that louder and more harshly than I intended and immediately backpedalled, "They're always worrying me, getting into so many dangerous situations."

Den laughed and nodded, "Well, that I can understand. Don't worry. They can get their way out of any situation."

I smiled. Yeah, they definitely could.

"They'll definitely find their way here eventually," smiled Den.

I froze, suddenly looking around. What if they came back and spotted me. My entire plan was going to go to hell.

"I might go exploring," I said quickly, "Besides, I might find them on the way."

Den nodded, "All right, be careful. If I see any of your crewmates, I'll tell them you'll be back soon."

"Thank you," I smiled, hopping off the ship. I sighed when I landed, tugging at the damp clothes sticking to my skin uncomfortably. The cloak only made it worse since it was so heavy and weighed down with water. I looked up. Den seemed to have moved to another area. I whipped off my cloak, feeling a huge weight slip off. I wrung it, and then swept my hair to one side to wring it out too.

_I better not get sick… _I thought, walking off and covering myself with the cloak again. I was about to lift my hood when a voice stopped me.

"Where did you get that mark?"

I flinched at Den's voice. Had he seen…?

I turned, probably pure terror on my face but Den was frowning in concentration, "I think I've seen that mark somewhere before… but… maybe it was different…"

"It's just a tattoo I got a long time ago," I said breezily. Not exactly a lie at least, "It sort of… represents something important to me."

Den shrugged, "I see. Sorry about that." He swam back to the deck. I couldn't tell if he was convinced or not but I didn't wait to find out. I sprinted into the trees, not stopping until I reached a cluster of trees far away from the ship.

I panted and leaned against the nearest tree. The cool, pale trunk felt nice against my suddenly hot skin.

Well, I had one advantage over him at least.

He never asked my name.

* * *

After a while of deliberating, I decided to take a short roundabout route through the forest and sneak back onto the ship while Den wasn't looking, and then wait for the others to return. With that thought I stood up and began jogging slowly through the forest, glad it was surprisingly spacious instead of dense.

As I ran, my clothes finally dried until I felt light and quick on my feet again. The cloak trailed behind me as light as kite streamers.

Without even knowing, my face was smiling, alight with pure joy as I ran through the forest. The damp leaves made my steps soundless, the cool wind refreshed me whenever I felt tired and for once in a long time, I wasn't worried about anything. I wasn't meticulously planning my next move, I wasn't poring over my future or enduring a long lecture or seeking some approval from my Marine superiors. I couldn't remember the last time I was like this.

Or maybe I could.

As I burst into a small, hidden clearing, it reminded me disturbingly of that time. The grass was darker here in the shade and grew slightly taller, brushing the tops of my ankles. I slowed my pace and walked until I was in the middle of the clearing. Only the centre had little shapes of filtered light as opposed to the rest of the dark clearing.

I sat down there, a little voice starting to nag at me that I should be getting back to the ship. But the rest of me just wanted a break, even if for a few seconds.

I shifted from sitting to lying down, getting lost in my thoughts.

Of that little idiot with a moss ball for a head. And how much I wanted to see him. But at the same time, I was going to kill him.

I sighed, putting my arm up to cover my eyes, as if the hood wasn't doing a good job already. My head wasn't taught to relax.

A twig snapped.

I bolted upright, snatching my sword and not even bothering to unsheathe it as I turned to block a heavy shot from a raging fishman.

"Who are you in the forest alone?" he barked. I pushed against his sword and jumped back, fully looking at my opponent. He was a pale green in colour with small beady eyes that were like little slits glaring at me, "You've got some guts, escaping on your own!"

_Escaping? _I suddenly panicked. Was this guy some ally of the Straw Hats? Had he suspected what I was doing? But I'd never seen this guy before, not even at Marineford. Nonetheless, I prepared myself for a fight.

"Escaping?" I faked nonchalance, "From who?"

"Hordy-sama!" A voice shouted from behind me. I removed the sheath, flipped my sword and stabbed backwards in a second, piercing something from the sound of the second guy's pained yells. When I withdrew my sword, it had blood on it.

"Hordy?" I said, looking at the first guy for an explanation, "Who's that?"

"Don't act stupid, pathetic human!" yelled the first one.

I felt the wounded one behind me move; making a last-ditch attempt to stab me. I turned this time and stabbed my sword into the ground a centimetre away from his side, "Don't move."

The second one was a pale blue that turned sickly white at my threat, stopping dead still, the edge of his sword glinting dangerously at me. But he recovered quickly, "W-Why don't you show your face, human? Which one of those stupid men are you?"

I glared, "Men?"

I grabbed the cloak collar with one hand, fully aware I was breaking every rule about an assassin's anonymity by revealing myself to an enemy but I couldn't care less then, and whipped it off. My hair had gathered on one shoulder as I threw the cloak aside, "I'm a woman, idiot."

The blue one seemed smug rather than afraid of me then, "Oh, just a woman?" He grinned, and jumped up with his sword, stabbing at me. I jumped back and dodged his next blow by ducking under it and slicing him in the stomach.

With a howl, he stumbled and fell back, dark blood pooling from the wound. But still he struggled to get back on his feet. I raised my eyebrows as I watched him.

"I… won't lose… to a human," he grunted as he clumsily tried to stand but he fell back down, his breath coming in shuddering inhales as if he were suffocating.

"Enough!"

I made a surprised sound and looked back at the first fishman. His expression had changed a bit. His anger had changed to a look of frustration and pain and sadness. I didn't understand his sudden expression. His fists were clenched at his sides but his weapon was down. I blinked, completely confused.

"Enough already," he said, his voice coming out as more of an angry sigh, "Just get out of here."

I glanced down at the second one, fallen unconscious from his wound. He was talking to me.

I glared suspiciously anyway, "Why?"

"Just leave," he said through grit teeth, "That mark on your back…"

I touched my mark automatically. The top of it was probably visible, peeking out of my shirt, especially since my hair was swept off it.

The first fishman dropped him weapon and looked up painfully at me, "We're not bringing another one of your kind here!"

"My kind?" I blinked again, "A human?"

"A Celestial Dragon!" he yelled, suppressed rage carrying through in his tone, "Never again!" He turned around abruptly, "Just go back to your world and stay out of ours."

"Wait," I said quietly, my mind suddenly curious. I looked at him evenly and dropped my sword. I raised my hands even, until he felt safe enough to turn around slightly.

"What do you want?" he hissed.

"I want to make a deal," I said calmly, not allowing any emotions into my voice. I needed him to trust me, yet not so much that he felt he could take advantage of and attack me.

He glared, "What deal?"

"I will help your friend," I said, "He's not dead yet, and if you act quickly enough, he can survive."

His glare faltered for a second only to intensify, "The catch?"

"I want to know the story of when the Celestial Dragon came here, from your point of view."

"That's it?" he sounded sceptical.

I nodded.

"Why should I trust a human – no, a Celestial Dragon – like you?"

I hesitated but then spoke confidently, "Firstly, I'm not a Celestial Dragon; however I am associated with them." I paused; he didn't seem to want to attack me but his look didn't exactly soften at that, "Maybe you shouldn't trust humans. But right now, I'm the only chance you've got for him," I glanced at the unconscious fishman and back up at him.

"So, deal?"

* * *

I ended up cutting a piece off my cloak to serve as a bandage. I'd only dabbled in any kind of first-aid but I had a general knowledge of it and applied pressure to the huge gash to stop the bleeding. Over time, his breathing regulated and his thin sheen of sweat began to fade until he looked like he was just in a deep sleep.

I fastened the bandage gently yet firmly and turned to face the first fishman who was watching me like a hawk, making sure I didn't try to poison his friend.

I backed away from reach of the fishman's body and returned his gaze, "All right, I held up my end of the deal."

The fishman conceded to that and nodded. There was a long silence and then, "Thank you."

I smiled slightly, "You're welcome."

The fishman sighed wearily, "It's been a long time since someone's said that to a human around here."

I waited.

"Sorry but I still don't trust you enough to tell you my name."

I grinned, "Nor do I. That's fine. I just need the story."

The fishman shrugged, "Ten years ago, a Celestial Dragon came to our island. Or actually, more specifically, washed up," he smirked at that, "His ship was attacked by the beasts on the sea floor I guess and he was the only survivor, somehow. When he arrived, he was injured and angry, demanding his slaves to be returned and to get medical help."

"Slaves?" I looked up at that, "Whose?"

The fishman looked at me as if I were mentally handicapped, "The Celestial Dragon's slaves. Those permanently marked with the damned hoof."

"He had fishman slaves?" I whispered quietly. Of course, I knew about the World Nobles having slaves; buying them at the Auctioning House on Sabaody and the slaves were often mistreated. But I'd assume those were only pirates and that abuse was what they had coming for them as a result of their crimes. Before, it seemed a fair system. Only the notorious pirates that performed heinous crimes served the Nobles. That was what they'd told me. That was what I'd seen every time I'd been at Mariejois.

"Not just us," said the fishman, "Dancing girls, pirates, mermaids, whoever they found interesting."

I was silent.

"You already know about the Fisher Tiger incident don't you?"

I nodded numbly, "He freed the slaves."

"Yeah," for once, the fishman's expression softened at the name, "He was a legend here on the island. But back to the story," his expression hardened again, "Fisher Tiger's rebellion released hundreds of slaves, many that were our kind. After a while, apart from those marks, it seemed life had returned to normal. But then the Celestial Dragon wouldn't let us go. He came to the island deliberately to retrieve us."

His expression changed again; I couldn't tell if he looked angry, regretful, sad, confused or everything rolled together, "The solution seemed simple. We wanted to kill him."

I glared up at that. No one killed World Nobles. I started to wonder if maybe I should kill this one as a consequence.

"Don't give me that look, woman, he was dying anyway," muttered the fishman, "He had enough energy to yell at us but he was pretty much dying in our territory. There was no way he'd have gotten back alone in that state, we might as well have killed him then."

I hated to admit he was right.

"So, we shot him," shrugged the fishman.

"Eh—?" I gasped. It was scary enough that crazy Straw Hat had punched one, and they shot one!

"Or we tried to. Queen Otohime protected him. Our Queen, protecting a Celestial Dragon who had made her people suffer. It was stupid," he muttered, "But our Queen refused to kill him and we couldn't exactly kill her. So we stopped. The Celestial Dragon got his treatment and he and the Queen went back to your world above. That's as far as I know."

I nodded. The last bit matched up. I was only young when the Queen of Fishman Island had come to our world and I wasn't told much of what was happening and still wasn't to this day. I'd only overheard bits of conversation that I'd long forgotten now.

"Thanks for telling me," I said. I looked over at his friend, who seemed stabilised enough. The cloak was tinged with dark patches of red. I tore off another large piece of my cloak. My cloak was starting to resemble a cape more than anything else but I knew I had to keep my side of the deal.

"Let him rest for a while and change his bandages after a couple hours. If he wakes up, try to give him some water."

The fishman looked at me, his head tilting to the side. I saw now, a dark mark on the side of his neck, where it met his shoulder. I suddenly realised what that new symbol was concealing.

"You're not so bad," he said, "For a human."

"I'll take it," I smiled, "I'm sorry I can't help you any further but it won't be good for either of us if we're spotted together."

The fishman seemed visibly scared for a second. I widened my eyes, wondering what kind of leader he had that scared him so much.

He recovered and turned away, "Yeah, I get it. I shouldn't even be talking with you. You should probably get out of here."

I didn't need a second warning and grabbed my stuff, running out of the clearing.

There seemed little point in wearing that cloak anymore; it wouldn't hide me from anything but I'd already felt guilty for breaking the rules for the ridiculous reason of letting my enemies know I was a woman so I wore what was left of it. The hood still shadowed my face but the cape now ended at my elbows. I'd probably given more 'bandages' to them than necessary but it was better than giving too little.

Right now, I had bigger worries on my mind. I wondered why I was told such a different story. I wondered why I was told to resent fishmen. But most of all, I wondered something else.

I hadn't even known the Nobles had fishmen as slaves.

For once, I began wondering what else the World Nobles were hiding from me.

* * *

When I reached the ship again, I was glad to find Den must have been somewhere else, repairing something internally. In a fluid movement, I leapt from one of the old masts on a broken ship and landed on the railing of the Straw Hat's ship relatively quietly.

I waited for any sort of response from Den but I assumed he didn't hear me or he was already gone. I slipped off the railing and settled back into the storage room, nestling between the now dry barrels.

Outside now, I heard voices on the deck. One was Den's and another was who I assumed to be Franky, the cyborg. They were coming around to the back railing. I squeezed back further into the barrels. Had they heard me?

But as they got closer, I only heard casual talking so I relaxed.

"You did a great job with the ship, Den! Thank you," said Franky appreciatively. I heard a thumping sound and then, "Solid as a rock! I'd expect the Sunny to be in rougher condition after that but thanks to you—"

"Franky."

I was surprised at the serious note in Den's voice. Even as I couldn't see him, I knew he wasn't smiling as he usually did.

"Huh?" Franky halted his praise, "What's up?"

"You know about the discrimination against the fishmen on this island." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," said Franky, clearly not paying full attention as I heard him walking around, examining everything.

"It has partly to do with appearance."

"Yeah," Franky agreed again, still wandering around.

Den sighed, "Franky, listen. This is something important you have to remember."

I heard Franky fall silent.

"Appearances are deceiving," said Den slowly, picking his words carefully but the whole thing flowed smoothly as if he'd already memorised it before, "Appearances give the first impression but it doesn't give the whole story. Will you remember that?"

I felt my breathing stop.

Franky seemed completely clueless to this however, "About the fishmen right? Don't worry, we already like this island and its people. It's SUPER!"

I heard Den sigh again, "Just remember it, Franky. It's important." With that, the conversation flowed as before, as if nothing had happened.

My brain slowly registered to start breathing again.

_He wasn't talking about the fishmen. _I gripped the edge of the barrel as I tried to come to terms with what just happened.

I touched the place where my mark was again self-consciously. He'd seen my mark and now he was preaching to the Straw Hats about appearances for crying out loud! Then that meant only one thing.

He knew my mark, he knew what it meant and he knew what I was here for.

* * *

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	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

I didn't register the next hour that I was just sitting there, between the barrels, listening to the same thoughts run through my head like a tape on replay.

'_Appearances are deceiving… it doesn't give the whole story.'_

How much did this guy know? How much was he willing to give away? Whose side was he on? Was it better to eliminate him or not? I told myself to calm the hell down. If there was something about this fishman I could take care of him in an instant.

But this was strange for me. Usually there was a very clear line between friend and foe. I could tell who to kill, who to support and who might be particularly useful. But with this guy, I wasn't sure which category to put him in.

I smiled. Of course, when I have to eliminate the Straw Hats, I had to expect the unexpected.

'_Purupurupurupuru… purupurupurupuru…'_

I blinked and picked up my sword At the base of my sheath was a small golden rope with tassels that held a small Den Den Mushi. It was small enough to sit comfortably on my shoulder when I travelled with the sword on my back and yet covered a huge range with its calls. It was a custom made type exclusive to the World Nobles at their request. All the assassins had one, in case the Nobles had to call them and let them know who to kill next.

My Den Den Mushi had little precious jewels encrusted in its shell, sparkling whenever it moved and even had a personalised bubble helmet like the Nobles to protect it from anything, like seawater.

_I haven't even killed a member of the Straw Hats yet, _I thought, somewhat annoyed as I picked up, "Hello?"

"Kuina?" the scratchy voice of Charloss sounded.

"Yes?" I said.

"Where are you?" he demanded, "Why is the connection this terrible?"

"I'm thousands of metres below sea level," I said cheerily, "Sorry but I had to track the Straw Hat Pirates down here."

"So you found them?" his voice was immediately excited despite the slight static, "Good. Kill them quickly."

"As always."

"So you're on Fishman Island," Saint Charloss continued, "Get me some candy while you're there."

"HUH?" I repressed the urge to gawk at the phone.

"Fishman Island's candy is very good," Charloss defended himself, "Besides, I need something to eat to celebrate the deaths of the Straw Hats! So get me some!" The last part was an order.

I sighed silently, "Yes, sir."

* * *

The factory was strangely empty when I left it, carrying a bag of candies. It was almost child's play to get in and out in less than ten minutes, all the while stuffing a bag large enough to be Santa Claus'.

In the distance, I heard a commotion and yells, as well as explosions. I looked as a huge column of smoke rose and gigantic legs stretched up, smashing the ground beneath it. Also the Kraken from before. With the Mermaid Princess.

"A civil war?" I thought aloud, cocking my head, then continued on my way, "Oh well. Better get this candy to the ship." The island could settle its own issues, without intervention from me.

As I continued a few more steps, I suddenly looked back, as the huge legs disappeared into a flurry of petals.

"If I remember…" I thought I'd seen that ability somewhere. Suddenly it hit me.

* * *

After I'd dumped the sack of candies in the store room, I ran back to the area, cussing every swear word I could think of. When I approached the battlefield of the civil war, I saw a large ring of fishmen and mermaids all witnessing the battle and shouting encouragement. An even greater shock was that they were all cheering for the Straw Hat Pirates.

I sneaked my way through the crowd, hiding behind large structures of coral or rocks. Luckily everyone was too distracted to take much notice of me. From what I saw, the fight seemed to be between fishmen and humans and the Straw Hat Pirates plus the former Shichibukai, Jinbe and the Kraken.

_Humans are involved in the war_, I thought, looking at them. This could work in my favour.

Making sure I didn't attract any attention, I crept down one of the cliff faces and onto the plaza where an all-out war had broken out.

I unsheathed my sword. I didn't want to get involved with the island's personal issues, but the situation called for it. It would probably be best to target one Straw Hat at a time. At this point I couldn't tell if Jinbe was a member or not, but given that he had left the Shichibukai anyway and was involved in helping Straw Hat escape from Marineford, I supposed I had an obligation to kill him too.

I raised my hood and ran towards the nearest member, and possibly one of the more troublesome ones, Nico Robin.

She sensed me coming before I reached her and immediately reacted. Turning around, she raised her arms, crossed them palms up and recited, "Seis Fleur…"

In an instant, the attack ran through my mind. Legs, back and upper body. I stabbed my sword at each of those places, successfully slicing the hands before they fully bloomed.

Robin frowned and made a slight surprised sound, her concentration momentarily broken, "Kenbunshoku Haki," she murmured, immediately deducing then that she couldn't go lightly.

I jumped back at she chanted again, "Once Fleur…"

I predicted the arms sprouting and sliced them off, petals cascading down and disappearing. I landed neatly on a flat rock and tried to think of a strategy.

_Distance doesn't matter. She can get me from anywhere. But she isn't a Logia-type so that means I can cut her like any normal person. _

All I had to do was keep predicting her attacks and find an opportunity to kill her.

While I was thinking, Robin had raised her arms again, "Gigantesco Mano!"

I watched as two huge legs formed above me, towering like huge straight pillars. I braced myself as Robin commanded them with a flick of her hands.

The legs descended, a blur as the speed increased.

I jumped off the rock towards Robin, _fast!_

Behind me, the foot stamped into the boulder. Huge cracks spread across the side and it got crushed instantly. I covered my face against the debris that flew like little needles. I grit my teeth against the dust and looked back at Robin. Still perfectly composed.

The legs disappeared, replaced by another set behind Robin. With a flick of her fingers, legs descended toward me.

I positioned my sword at my side, its thin side gleaming at me reassuringly. My fingers found its familiar hold along the rough hilt and my body responded automatically.

I swung my sword upwards, creating a horizontal slice. It pierced both legs, travelling through their length and through the knee. The legs disappeared, exploding with petals. I kept my eyes on my prey and descended in my jump, right towards Robin.

_Got her._

I swung my sword down; often the most merciful death was beheading, but was met with a dull screech of metal against metal. And whoever blocked me had strength, easily pushing me back a few metres. I held my ground and held my sword up, preparing to block but no blow came.

"Go, I'll take care of him," a deep voice was saying.

Robin seemed reluctant but gave in, "OK. Be careful."

"Yeah," he said. I felt him position his swords too. The gleam of three swords reflected light under my hood. I gave a small sad smile.

_Who knew I'd be meeting you here, Zoro?_

"Why don't you show your face?" asked Zoro, his deep voice making practically anything sound like a threat. I wondered when he'd changed from his higher pitch as a kid.

"Beat me and find out," I replied.

"Fair enough."

I felt him run toward me and I raised my sword in a horizontal block. His two swords pushed against mine. I edged back, somewhat flinching.

"What crazy power," I muttered, pushing off him and sliding back. He swung again, this time parrying me with one sword and spinning, aiming for my head with the other two. I ducked, the tips narrowly missing the top of my hood. He brought his swords down and I moved to the side, spinning my sword. I aimed a thrust to his stomach but he jumped back, positioning his swords already.

"Santoryuu: Kokujo: O Tatsumaki!" he called as he slashed with his swords.

I watched as a huge whirlwind conjured from the slash, moving wildly like a cyclone towards me.

"Oh?" I looked at it, a formidable move in its own right.

Zoro was watching me carefully; sure I was about to either run or do something reckless. Either way, he wasn't letting down his guard.

I ran straight forward, jumping into the cyclone. I heard Zoro make a surprised sound before I was consumed by the attack.

_Left, left, right, below, above, front, right, _I swung my sword in a blur, blocking each slice made by the cyclone until I reached the heart of it straight in the center.

I swung my sword multiple times, each creating a wide slit in the cyclone, until it fell away like rags.

"… Pound Ho!" I heard Zoro yell as another attack sped toward me. I raised my sword to block it but was still flung a bit back in the air. I flinched and flipped, jarring my ankle on a rock as I landed heavily. I needed to start going on the offensive.

I pinpointed where Zoro stood and ran towards him, dodging every attack he sent my way. At the last attack, he aimed at my feet so I jumped and attacked him. He retaliated but I saw he was pushed back a little. We started parrying shot after shot, sometimes he was pushed back, sometimes me. As our swords met again, I could feel his panting breaths. Or perhaps they were my own. It was hard to distinguish one from the other.

"You're not bad," I said, feeling a familiar excitement run through my veins. I hadn't felt that in a long time.

"Same to you," grinned Zoro and despite everything, I had to smile back. Even though he didn't even know who I was yet.

'_Purupurupurupuru… purupurupurupuru…'_

I froze, hearing that small sound from my shoulder. Was it a reminder? Everything flowed back to me; my beliefs, the side I was on, the right side. What was I doing, smiling at a pirate?

'**Purupurupurupuru… purupurupurupuru…'**

I couldn't tell if the sound had truly gone louder or if everything was just thumping in my ears. Maybe Charloss was just impatient and the Den Den Mushi was conveying that.

But I knew I couldn't ignore him.

I pushed back, leaping back several steps, "I'm leaving. Good fight, Pirate Hunter Zoro."

"Huh? Oi!" yelled Zoro when I turned my back, "Don't leave in the middle of a fight!"

"Later," I replied, stepping off the rock, running through the crowd. If anyone recognized me, nobody stopped me.

"Wait…!" I heard Zoro but his voice melted into the crowd's screams. I shook him off as I ran, dodging between the fishmen and human pirates alike. I couldn't climb up anymore and remain unseen so instead I hid in a small crevice in the cliff-face, pressing my back right up against the wall to remain invisible.

When no one tried to attack me, I answered the Den Den Mushi, "What?" I remembered protocol at the last moment, "… Sir?"

"Humph! You little…" Charloss seemed at lost for words and made a frustrated sound, "Never mind. Listen, Kuina, Big Mam's pirates are on the island."

"What did you say?" I said, freezing at the name of the Yonko, "Right now?"

"Don't make me repeat myself!" yelled Charloss, "I want their heads too!"

I was speechless for a few seconds, and then when I spoke again, I was almost yelling, screwing the protocol, "Look, I've got my hands full right now trying to hunt down a whole crew! I've already got your candy and if I was still fighting the Straw Hats, I might have one of their heads by now!" That was probably an exaggeration but I needed something to back up my case, "If the Big Mam pirates haven't tried to cause you any physical harm then I don't have any obligation to eliminate them… sir."

I could hear Charloss' angry breathing through the speaker, "How dare you try and disobey me, child! Don't bother coming back to Mariejois until you've got all the Straw Hats' heads!"

_Well, so much for the candy, _I thought. I could just imagine trying to give Charloss nine severed heads and a sack of rotted candy.

"Fine," I said, "Then please don't call me again, sir."

Then I hung up first.

I sighed. Once I got back to Mariejois, another lecture probably awaited me. If I was lucky, it would be from Kizaru. I almost flinched at the thought of Akainu's punishment for talking back to a Noble. Or maybe if some higher power recognized my killing of the Straw Hats as a job well done, I could skip the lecture altogether.

Suddenly I realised I wasn't alone.

I sensed movement and swung my sword upwards in the narrow space, deflecting a heavy slice. My arm vibrated from the effort, aching in its joint.

"What a persistent guy." I held my sword ready as I emerged from my space. Zoro stood about twenty metres away, smirking in amusement around his sword hilt.

"You didn't run very far," he remarked.

"I didn't run," I argued.

"Let's just continue where we left off," said Zoro, placing himself in a defensive position. He was baiting me to attack first. Probably just trying to prevent me from running again.

It worked. I ran forward and sliced at him; just a basic one he could easily block. As we stood with our swords clashed, I asked, "Why did you come after me?"

"You're suspicious," Zoro stated simply, "Are you on Hordy's side?"

"Just a passing bounty hunter," I said breezily, "Saw the chaos and decided to join in."

"Why would a bounty hunter be on Fishman Island?" shot Zoro.

"Nice place for a holiday I hear," I said sarcastically. Cracks were beginning to show in my story. But in this situation, I couldn't reveal my identity, nor could I place myself on either side.

Zoro clearly didn't appreciate the joke or the fact that I was keeping something from him. He jumped away and raised his swords again, uttering something that got lost in the surrounding noise.

I felt the attack before I saw it. A chill ran through me and every instinct in my body veered me left, just in time to dodge a massive slice that cut through the ground. The slice accelerated upwards and cut through a large section in the cliff-face.

An avalanche of rocks fell, making a huge rumbling sound. The cliff shook as if an earthquake was forming from the inside, and I saw the human pirates and fishmen right below the cascade of rocks, about to get crushed.

All at once, I forgot my training; I forgot every rule drilled into me about not taking my eyes off my target and I forgot what I had come here to do.

My arm moved instinctively and my body turned towards those victims. To an ordinary person, I only moved my sword once and nothing happened. But almost transparently, I could see my slices, with a slight luminous glow that a normal eye would easily miss.

"_This is your technique. To convert Haki into your weapon."_

His words rang clearly in my mind, as well as his piercing golden eyes, as I watched the rocks shatter to harmless pieces above the frozen pirates and fishmen alike.

I turned back to Zoro once I made sure all of them were safe, "Why are you dragging bystanders into this?" I raged.

"Why did you protect them?" said Zoro, "You're a bounty hunter aren't you?" He inclined his head, "They're pirates."

"Why did you try to kill them?" I fired back, "What would you get from it?"

"I'm a pirate," he shrugged, "Pirates go against pirates all the time."

"I can't believe you," I muttered in a voice that was surprisingly dark even against a pirate. But it was one thing to kill for a reason. I could understand if pirates killed marines for self-defense. That was just how it worked. But killing for the heck of it was horrible and it reminded me why I had chosen the side I did.

Childhood friend or not; if this was what Zoro had become, I had to kill him.

I moved my sword in an upward arc and saw the transparent Haki shoot its way toward Zoro. At the last second, Zoro raised his sword to block it, flinching at its power and deflected it off.

I ran at him, launching three more attacks and engaged him directly as he dodged them, slicing, evading and blocking.

Zoro finally pushed me back due to his physical strength advantage and placed two of his swords behind his back and to the side, reciting another attack. I prepared myself to retaliate with one of my Haki attacks.

But then I sensed something.

A hand sprouted on my shoulder.

I tried to guess its motive; breaking my neck, perhaps?

But what it did was far worse.

It took the edge of my hood and before I could take in a breath, pulled it back.

My navy blue hair tumbled out in naturally straight strands on one shoulder. My eyes widened and I forgot to attack.

Zoro's eye widened even more than mine and his mouth dropped partly open. I wondered how the sword didn't drop out of his mouth but it did turn a bit so I saw the hilt.

The Wado. My sword; the sword that I fought Zoro with. The sword I had to give up.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I noticed Zoro's attack speeding past my shoulder, barely missing and only because Zoro had released it clumsily out of shock. I also noted Nico Robin, the archaeologist, standing on the edge of the battlefield Zoro and I claimed for our fight. Her hands were still raised and crossed as she took in my features and watched Zoro's reaction.

"I knew it," she murmured.

I stood planted to the ground, wondering whether I should run or not. But a part of me wanted to see Zoro's reaction, to his childhood friend who was supposed to be dead for over a decade. Would he ask questions, would he be mad, would he still try to kill me?

But he only uttered one word. For some reason, this time, I heard him over the noise even though he didn't shout it. It was as if the rest of the noise was irrelevant and my ears only wanted to hear his one word.

"Kuina."

* * *

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	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

* * *

**Thank you to reviewers so far~ LeoGear, thank you for the note on Zoro's eye. XD**

* * *

"Kuina," Zoro repeated, as if I might disappear after he said my name. His swords dropped to his sides, barely brushing the ground; a perfect, vulnerable target.

My arm was numb; my sword suddenly felt too heavy. My entire body was still and I couldn't figure out what I was feeling, to distinguish one emotion from the mess in my head. Stupidity for thinking I could get away with this? Guilt for showing up out of nowhere all of a sudden? Or maybe frustration. I was urging Zoro to fight; to keep fighting me. At least if he was, my mind would have something else to think about. The silence between us was excruciating. It would be a lot easier if Zoro had just started yelling and tried to kill me.

But he was just staring at me, like a ghost.

Then suddenly, his sword rammed straight up to the hilt in the ground, he was pushing it so hard.

"Stop screwing with me, woman!" he shouted.

I flinched. Well, this reaction was actually pretty reasonable so I stayed silent, letting him finish.

"First at Loguetown AND Alabasta AND now THIS?" he was pointing his other sword at me with each accusation he shouted, "Why are you following me, woman?"

"Huh?" I was caught off guard for a second, "What?"

Robin was the only one perfectly calm in this situation and she actually smiled in amusement, "Zoro…"

"I already paid for your glasses didn't I?" Zoro continued to yell, completely ignoring Robin.

"What is he talking about?" I muttered under my breath. I definitely wasn't expecting this reaction. Then I realised what a dangerous situation I was in and quickly yanked back up my hood. It was bad enough two of the Straw Hats knew what I looked like. I had to retreat, for now. Especially since Zoro had clearly gone nuts.

I turned on my heel and ran, leaping up several ledges on the cliff-face until I reached the top. When I looked back, Zoro was still yelling, not yet realised I disappeared. Robin was watching me with a knowing smile but her eyes were wary. She clearly didn't know what to think of me.

As I ran back to the ship; honestly, I didn't know what to think of me either.

* * *

Den appeared to have left when I returned to the ship. It was coated and prepared. I was careful not to ruin his handiwork. After all, he had been nice to me and I couldn't classify him as an enemy.

I sat back down in my cosy spot between the barrels and began thinking. I didn't know what Zoro was on about but he didn't seem to know who I really was yet. Robin was the only person who even had a vague idea. There was only one thing I was concerned about.

When she'd seen my face, she'd murmured, "I knew it."

I was confused about that. What did she know? What was her theory to who I was? Had she guessed I was a Government assassin? Did she know I was connected to Zoro somehow by his reaction? I knew Nico Robin was no idiot; she collected information and made conclusions, and she was very good at it.

But I remembered the wary look in her eyes. She was still unsure about several pieces of the puzzle and I didn't know whether or not she would tell her crewmates. At this point, I had to rely on her and her secretive nature.

The next option to consider was just how I was supposed to kill them all. The two years had made them stronger than I'd anticipated, especially Zoro. I sensed a hint of Haki in him when we fought and I wasn't sure whether he knew how to utilize it properly or not. If he did, that would just make everything that much more troublesome.

In any case, I hadn't shown what I could fully do in my short fight. I doubted that was Zoro – or Robin's – true strength too. It wasn't a representation of the Straw Hats' full potential.

We both had the element of surprise now.

It all just depended on who was stronger.

* * *

Eventually, I had to sleep. The Straw Hats didn't seem to be coming back for a while so I decided to sleep for a while, my sword propped safely at my side with my arm resting on its sheath.

The first thing I was aware of was the darkness. It stretched on for miles all around me, consuming and black as night. I couldn't see my own body.

_Where am I?_

I tried to stand but was abruptly pulled back by some invisible restraints in the blackness, around my wrists, arms, torso, legs, ankles. I choked against the tight hold around my neck and suddenly seemed to notice it constricting my throat. It was hard to breathe.

Help. I had to find help. My eyes searched fruitlessly across the vastness of black around me, growing more desperate.

_You old geezer, where are you? _I searched not only with my sight but with what was left of my voice too. I wanted to find him; I needed to find him. My panic was escalating quickly, as I tried to find him, to see his lazy face.

In the back of my mind, I faintly recalled the distant words he'd first spoken to me at the back railing on the World Noble's luxurious ship. I was ordered to stay there; apparently a 'peasant', let alone a 'peasant child' on the front of a World Noble's ship would spoil their reputation. I hadn't minded at the time really. I was excited then, to be personally trained and employed for a World Noble.

Even the cool wind hadn't deterred me; the steady rocking of the ship was calming and the mild scent of the ocean had been precious to me. Finally I was away from home, from Father's harsh words and on an adventure of my own.

It was then that he had found me, huddled on my own, bubbling with excitement.

"First time on one of these things or something?" was the first thing he said, that same bored look on his face.

"Of course," I'd said to state the obvious, "You must've been on this plenty of times already."

He shrugged by way of answer, "It gets old after the first five times."

I didn't really understand that then but now I sort of got what he meant, after a few more times on the same ship, except I was actually permitted to stand at the front now.

"Hey, old man, are you really an Admiral?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"You don't look like one."

He didn't seem at all offended, "You don't seem like the typical kid that goes through this training either."

I remembered I was mad then; the wound from my father was still raw and flared up at his comment, "Why? Because I'm a girl?"

He seemed slightly amused at that, "Nah. I didn't say you didn't _look _like a typical kid, just that you didn't _seem _like one."

I didn't like riddles, "What do you mean?"

"You're strong, sure, but there's something else about you…" He scratched his head, "What's the word…?"

I waited, refusing to play his game.

"Naïve?" he said and nodding to himself, "Yeah, that's it. You've got guts and you've got strength. But you're naïve kid. You have to really consider what you're walking into before you commit yourself to anything… or anyone."

"I already made my decision," I told him.

His eyes looked at me for a long, hard moment. There was a look in his eyes I could never place, even now. It wasn't a friendly look but not nasty either. He wasn't sad but he wasn't pitiful either. The best I could come up with to describe his eyes then was nostalgic.

It was only for a moment but I still remembered that look, permanently engraved into my memory.

"Yeah, I definitely have to keep my eye out for you," he'd said, "You'll be kept under my care. You're going to be my responsibility so don't cause too much trouble at Headquarters, got it?"

"Fine, old man," I replied.

He'd walked away then after giving me a look for calling him 'old man'. I just looked straight back.

"A decision is never permanent, you know?" he said as he walked off, "Change never happened from walking a straight path."

Little me was surprised then, seeing him share this bit of wisdom. For a moment, he did seem like the Admiral as I'd always thought of them.

The moment was shattered when he pulled his eye mask down, "Well, I'm sleeping now. Sleep tight, kid." Then he shut the door. That was the end of my memory.

The fucking old geezer, sprouting crap about taking care of me and then taking off from the Marines. Yet I was searching for him now, even more desperately now that I remembered that memory. I'd only realised just then he was the only person to have spoken to me like a person ever since I joined the Marines, that wasn't to do with orders or killings or reports.

Well, actually that wasn't true. There was that other old man. The one who laughed and spat donut in my face and told me I reminded him of his grandsons.

And neither was here now.

I was beginning to see spots in my vision. I choked when I took a breath and pulled against the restraints with everything I had left.

_No one's going to help you so learn to survive yourself. _That had been the very first thing I'd learnt in training. The assassins of the World Nobles were the lone wolves of the Marines; we operated on our own to protect our respective Noble and Marines were forbidden to back us up except for transportation purposes; and that was only because the Nobles were so impatient. If an assassin was killed in battle, they brought shame to the Noble but were easily replaceable. The higher your rank, the more dangerous you were perceived and the better jobs you got, but the more embarrassing it was for the Noble if you were killed.

I can't die here. I can't lose. I pulled against the restraints on my arm and to my surprise, it gave way. The cool metal coiled around my wrist loosely as I worked at freeing my neck.

Suddenly a cool hand rested on my arm, stopping my movements. I looked up into the face of Aokiji.

"You're too late you old geezer," I snapped, shaking off his hand but he just shook his head at me silently before fading away.

Another hand touched the space between my shoulder blades. I looked to my other side and saw Garp.

"You're already bound to them and this side," he said with a strong hint of regret, "Even if you escape now, you have no place in the world. You defied the pirates; betrayed the Marines. Sometimes death is better than that kind of freedom."

With that, his hand lifted and the restraint on my neck pulled me straight to the ground. I cried out as another chain wrapped itself around my free arm, trapping it permanently.

The last things I heard were Garp's disappearing footsteps, abandoning me to my death.

* * *

I woke gasping, covered with a thin sheen of sweat. I immediately reached to my side, patting the empty space for my sword. I couldn't find it.

_Where's my sword? Where's my sword? _I was going hysterical; I needed something to assure me I'd be safe.

"Whoa, whoa… Hey, are you OK?"

I suddenly became aware someone else was in the room. I looked at the little animal-type thing that jumped out of its chair in shock, raising his front hooves to calm me.

Tony Tony Chopper. A Straw Hat member.

_I was discovered? _

No, that was impossible; I'd be dead by now. Did they know who I was? I had too many questions and the little reindeer seemed to know that.

"You must be confused," he said calmly and slowly. I was grateful for that; my mind was processing everything at a snail's pace, "Um, I don't know who you are but Zoro found you in the storage room. He said you were having a nightmare so he carried you here but you were struggling a lot. I injected some medicine to calm you down. Do you feel OK?"

Discovered AND drugged! How much more could I stuff up? I could only nod numbly, wondering if I'd drop dead any second. But after a few seconds, I realised I _was _fine; my movements were completely fluid, even though my mind was slow and my thoughts weren't foggy at all.

"What a relief!" smiled Chopper, seeming genuinely pleased, "I was worried. Oh," he walked over to the wall and picked up something, quietly pattering back.

"Here," he held up my sword, perfectly intact and still sheathed. The small Den Den Mushi was sleeping on top.

Was he challenging me to a fight? Right now? I opened my mouth but he spoke first.

"It's precious to you, right?"

My words abruptly stopped on my tongue, causing me to pathetically make a surprised sound. But I found my voice again, "Yeah."

"Here," he said again, offering my sword. This time I took it hesitantly, instantly calmer with the familiar feel of its hilt in my hand again. I turned it, running my fingers along its shape I'd memorised, each intricate bronze line on its smooth black hilt.

"Yeah, it's very precious to me," I said. I looked at him, "Thank you."

He smiled, "No problem. Your thanks doesn't make me happy, you bastard~" He started doing a dance, obviously very happy. I let out a small laugh as his face turned concerned again, "Do you remember what you were doing before you woke up?"

The trance was broken.

I was armed! It was the reindeer's fault for giving a weapon to a person he knew nothing about without the slightest suspicion. It was his naivety that caused this. This was the perfect chance!

My fingers hovered over the hilt, moving and contracting. I couldn't grab the hilt.

_Why?_

"No, I don't remember," I said distantly, my brain sending a thousand signals to my fingers to grab the damn hilt. But my fingers were frozen.

"You might have hit your head," nodded Chopper agreeably, "You should probably rest more, um…"

I didn't why I didn't think. I didn't know why I didn't make up something. But I couldn't lie; it was like some part of my brain knew I couldn't do it.

"Kuina," I said, waiting for his reaction; for him to pull out some hidden weapon and killing me.

It never happened.

"Kuina-san," Chopper said chirpily, reaching over and gently easing me down back onto the bed I lied on. Chopper gently took my sword and set it down right beside my bed. My fists had created bunches in the sheet from when I was gripping it so tightly before. He patted out the creases and raised the sheet to my chin.

"There," he said, "Rest awhile. You're less likely to get nightmares if you're warm." He walked around to blow out a small candle set on his desk. Immediately the room went dark but the moonlight provided a dim glow.

"Good night," said Chopper, "If anything's wrong, come get me, OK?"

"OK," I said. I didn't know if he could see my smile in the dark, "Thanks."

"You don't make me happy, you bastard~" he sang as he danced his way out, shutting the door behind him.

As soon as I heard his footsteps fade and another door shut, I jumped out of bed, ignoring the temporary dizzy spell, probably from an after effect of the medication. I took my sword and escaped to the back railing.

* * *

It was pointless to try and kill anyone tonight. My hand didn't obey me, my head was confused and I was in no condition to fight thanks to those two things. Besides, I felt I owed at least one night to this crew. They gave me one day, I'd give them tonight.

I swung my sword again; in the same arc I'd been swinging it for the past hour. I changed my position and began a series of cuts, aiming at an imaginary opponent's arms, legs, heart and neck, the good vital points.

"Not bad," a voice remarked behind me.

"You seriously stayed there for the past hour?" I said, not allowing him to interrupt my practice.

I heard the almost noiseless unsheathing of his sword and turned to block a blow. The metallic clang seemed a thousand times louder in the silent night. He eyed me over the edge of my sword.

For a while he was silent, unmoving. He wasn't trying to fight me; I realised. It was just his way of making sure I wouldn't attack him.

"I don't trust you," he said, "You're not real; just some trick from the New World."

"Only the dead can be ghosts," I said, "And only the ghosts can be dead. Yet I am neither." I looked at him, "Why is that?"

He grunted and pushed me off. I leaned forward and landed lightly on my feet. When I looked up, Zoro was glaring along the edge of his Wado sword.

"You should be dead," he said in an emotionless tone.

With that, he sheathed his sword again and turned to leave me alone. Later, I heard a door slam shut. Then silence.

I slid down the cool railing, resting my sword beside me. So, Father had told him I was dead.

I didn't know why I was so surprised. After all, it was to be expected that Father hadn't changed, even after I'd left home. He would rather pretend I was dead than tell Zoro what I had actually done.

Still, I wasn't planning on Zoro actually buying it.

"You idiot, would I really die that easily?" I muttered into the night as I drifted off.

* * *

When I woke, it was already light. I stretched and stood up.

A blanket fell on the ground.

"Huh?" Had I gotten a blanket yesterday? No, I just dozed off.

I blinked and shrugged, folding the blanket neatly and making my way back to the sick bay, carrying my sword under my arm.

When I eased open the door, I didn't expect the sudden small animal tackling me.

"YOU!" shouted Chopper, suddenly morphed into a larger, slightly more human-like/monster-like form in order to restrain me better. His voice dropped a couple of octaves, "What did I say about rest?"

I found myself uttering, "Sorry, sorry," before I even knew it. Even though the profile stated Chopper was several years younger than me, he reminded me of a scolding parent. I took in the moment; after all I hadn't experienced that for a while.

"Oi, Chopper, don't worry, she seems SUPER!" another voice pitched in. I looked up to see the cyborg, Franky. He was grinning at me, "Just compliment him then sneak away," he advised.

I took his advice.

"Sorry, Chopper but I'm feeling great now since you're such a good doctor," I said.

The ship turned quiet.

"Was that a compliment?" said the sniper, Usopp, carrying a box of tools across the deck.

"Yeah," I replied, somewhat confused, "Why?"

"Your tone was completely flat."

"Was it?"

"Yeah."

_Strange… _I thought, considering. When _was _the last time I complimented someone? At Headquarters, I only ever got ordered around and barked at. I never worked with anyone long enough to say, 'Good work!' or something like that like the other Marines.

Nonetheless, Chopper still pranced around, "Like that made me happy, you bastard~" he sang.

"Huh? Oh, you're awake!" said a new voice. I turned and watched the navigator, Nami descend the stairs, smiling, "How are you feeling?"

_What is this? _Was no one here suspicious of the random woman asleep in their storage room? I really began to question how much of what I heard at Headquarters was true. Why weren't they attacking me? Unless they were planning on how to deal with me later… After all, Zoro had already stated he didn't trust me; if the crew was smart, they'd think the same.

I realised Nami was looking at me curiously and that I hadn't replied.

"Fine," I said, avoiding her eyes.

"Don't hassle her too much," Chopper said, back to his normal self, "She's probably got amnesia."

"Amnesia?" another voice called and suddenly the top room door burst open followed by a suited man I recognised to be the chef, Sanji, "This beautiful lady has amnesia?"

He leapt down directly in front of me and I stiffened, my hand moving directly to my sword hilt. Were they attacking now? There were a reasonable number on the deck; the sniper, cyborg, navigator, doctor and chef. The other four were nowhere to be seen but maybe that was their intention.

I began channelling Haki.

Suddenly the procedure was broken when Sanji grabbed my hands.

Restraining me? I tried to sense the others' attacks. Oddly enough, there weren't any.

"A beauty like you on our ship," said Sanji, his eye replaced with a heart, "MY SUFFERING HAS PAID OFF!" he yelled to the sky, practically jumping with joy.

"E-eh?" was all I could stutter.

"SANJI!" yelled Chopper, "I just said to stop hassling her!"

Sanji paid him no attention, "What's your name?"

"Kuina…" I said, leaning back slightly from him. Were those hearts I saw dancing around his head?

"Kuina-kwun!" Sanji declared, the hearts around his head doubling in size.

"K-Kwun?" I said. Was this really the notorious fighter I'd heard about? I tried to picture a 77, 000, 000 bounty on him.

"You'll get used to it after a while," Nami brushed off, breaking my train of thought, "Soon, you can even feel him coming, like a sixth sense," she tapped her head. Then she moved towards me in one quick movement and took Sanji by the collar, "Hey, Sanji, don't come onto her so strongly."

Sanji didn't seem at all deterred and switched his target to Nami instead.

A strum of a guitar silenced everyone. Suddenly I noticed the tall skeleton sitting on the swing, missing him at first despite his psychedelic appearance.

He strummed again, the note dragged out purposefully. So this was the Soul King. Somehow I could feel the emotions in his music, without even a word from him yet.

"Kuina-san," he greeted, finishing the first notes.

I waited, giving him a curious look.

"… May I see your panties?"

"No," I said, unsheathing a sliver of my sword.

Everyone seemed to notice then that I actually had a sword.

"Oh, a swordsman," said Usopp, looking at my sword in wonder, "Or is it a swordswoman?" He tilted his head, question marks above his head.

"Aren't they both the same?" said Franky.

"I think it's a swordswoman," said Chopper.

As their debate escalated, I sensed a presence from the front of the ship. From the impact of his presence, it could only be one person. I forced myself to stay still as he propelled himself to the deck. There was no use attacking him now with an entire crew to back him up.

Monkey D. Luffy. As I watched him, I couldn't help but think that he looked unique, unlike any other captain of a pirate crew. He had a wiry, lean body but held a lot of power, his grin was carefree instead of cruel, and he wore a simple shirt, shorts and sandals. Most of all, the straw hat was still dominant on his head.

I watched him stride over to the three arguing. Would he yell? Or hit them?

"It's definitely a swordswoman!" Straw Hat yelled instead, joining the debate. I metaphorically turned to stone, confused. This was the captain?

"Luffy agrees with me!" said Chopper.

"I guess that makes sense," conceded Usopp.

Franky just shrugged.

"Interesting!" Luffy declared, a sudden spark in his eyes.

"Yeah," said Usopp. Suddenly his look turned to one of panic, "…Wait! Luffy, don't tell me…?"

"You!" Luffy said, pointing at me. I didn't flinch.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Join my crew!" he said.

_REALLY? _This crew was definitely too trusting. But… this was my second chance. Maybe some higher power had granted me a chance to prove myself, to set myself back on the right side.

Infiltrate, gain trust and destroy.

"Su—" I began.

"Luffy."

Luffy looked up at the crow's nest. Zoro was leaning out of an open window, his clothes slipped down to reveal part of his upper body. Probably training.

"What, Zoro?" Luffy called.

"Don't ask random people to join the crew."

"Why?" Luffy whined, "Zoro, you were the one who brought her in!"

"Because she was making a hell of a racket!"

I flinched, somewhat ashamed. Really, my cover was blown because of a nightmare. It didn't get much more humiliating than that.

"You gave her a blanket last night!" yelled Nami, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"OI!" yelled Zoro, flinching for a second, "I said I was going to pay the fucking debt! Wasn't that the deal?"

"Yeah, well, I found something better," sang Nami. She turned to look at me, "Ne, Kuina, if you join, can I have this?" She held up her hand and my breath caught in my throat.

The Den Den Mushi looked at me with a panicked look in its little bubble, its jewels glittering like a thousand rainbows.

_Where? How? _

"Um, well, unless it's precious to you," Nami backpedalled.

"No," I said, "You can have the phone bit."

The phone bit was encrusted with several jewels; probably worth a fair bit on its own.

"Where'd you even get a Den Den Mushi like that?" gaped the others.

I had to improvise. I put on my best blank look and frowned, "I'm sorry… I can't remember. But I'm sure it wasn't important to me." I walked over to Nami and carefully prised off the receiver bit, "Here." The Den Den Mushi quickly scrambled over to my hand, looking a lot more content.

"Wow~" Nami admired the piece in the light, "Thank you, Kuina!"

"See Zoro, she's a nice person!" Luffy said.

Zoro just glared and turned around, "Do what you like," he muttered.

"Strange, he usually listens to Luffy," said Chopper.

"It's probably just because she's a better swordswoman than the shitty Marimo," shrugged Sanji.

"Ero-cook!" Zoro yelled.

"What'd you say, you little shit?" shouted Sanji.

"Ne, ne, will you join my crew?" Luffy said excitedly as Zoro and Sanji began arguing across the deck, screaming more profanities than actual insults.

I smiled, "For now, sure."

"New member!" cheered Franky, striking a pose.

"Let's celebrate! Yohohoho!" Brook joined in, playing another tune on the guitar louder than the screaming match.

I looked around at the crew, unable to frown at their high spirits.

I hadn't realised then that there was still one Straw Hat member I hadn't seen yet. And that was the one who was probably the closest to figuring out who I really was.

* * *

**Longer chapter this time~ I figured it was about time for Kuina to meet the Straw Hats~ :D **

**Let me know what you think~ **


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

"Another round!"

"Luffy, stop stealing food!"

"Yohohoho!"

"Delicious!"

I could barely fit a word in at the chaos that was the celebratory dinner. Food flew everywhere, there was alcohol all around and the table rocked so many times, it was a wonder no glasses smashed on the floor.

"Sanji, more food!" yelled Luffy, holding out about ten plates.

"You're doing the dishes after!" Sanji shot back but took the plates one-handed and walked back to the kitchen, balancing them expertly.

"Oh, Kuina-kwun, you want anything?" he asked as he walked past.

"No, this is plenty," I replied. In truth, I hadn't even finished my first serving, too raptured in the craziness the minute dinner started. At Mariejois, dinner was always a quiet event, or so I'd heard. Assassins weren't required at the table for Nobles and usually ate amongst the other Marines. Even then, the noise wasn't anywhere near this level. There definitely weren't food fights, getting drunk (or pretty far from sober anyway) or dancing around with chopsticks stuffed up one's nostrils.

"Sanji! Food, food!" Luffy chanted.

"BE PATIENT!" came the reply.

"Captain," I called up the table. Luffy turned as I threw my plate like a Frisbee and swallowed it whole, plate and all. His mouth bulged as he chewed and swallowed. Then he spat out the round platter directly onto the table.

"GROSS!" yelled Usopp, smacking him upside the head, "Luffy!"

Luffy just laughed loudly, "Thanks, Kuina!"

I returned his grin but really was surveying the space behind his head. Nope. He wasn't hiding there.

"Wonder where's Zoro t'night?" Nami said, slamming her mug on the table. Her speech wasn't too slurred yet but she definitely wasn't sober. A distinct smell of alcohol on her breath confirmed it.

"Usually he's all up in here, drinkin' all the sake," Nami said, then shrugged, "Oh well, forget him."

"Where would he be?" I asked over the noise.

"Huh?" Nami yelled, blinked blankly and then brightened up, "Oh, where is he? Crow's nest, probably. Trains like hell and smells like crap afterwards," she laughed, amused at herself.

"Right, thanks," I said and backed away, careful not to attract any attention as I slipped my way out, carrying my sword.

As soon as I shut the door, I started to miss the crazy chaos and realised I was grinning the whole time I was in there.

"You look happy."

I whirled around at the voice and saw Nico Robin sitting at the bench around the mast, smiling in her amused way. A piece of material was draped around her shoulders and she held a cup of coffee between her hands. A thick book was set beside her.

I frowned, "Don't you eat dinner?"

She laughed lightly, "Of course. But I usually eat later, when it's not as loud." She looked at me, "Don't worry. You get used to their energy after a while."

"I'm sure. But actually…"

"You want to see Zoro, right?"

I didn't bother asking "How do you know?" There was something special about this woman from the second I saw her; the kind of person who you couldn't hide anything from but had a fair few secrets herself.

"Yeah."

Robin regarded me with a curious look, as if she couldn't figure me out. Then she picked up a book, opened to a page and began reading, "He should still be up there."

I didn't move for a few seconds, certain she was playing some kind of trick. She didn't look up but said, "You're right. I am wary of you."

"Then why…?" I said.

Robin turned a page nonchalantly, "I believe Zoro can take care of himself."

* * *

The crow's nest was located on the foremast of the ship. It was a bit of a pain to get there, especially trying to find handholds in the dark but nothing difficult. First I climbed up the ropes to the ladder and then made my way through the floor, swinging myself up.

Zoro was there, though completely ignoring me, and as far as he could get from the entrance, I couldn't help but notice. He swung an insane amount of weights on a metal rod in even intervals. His torso was exposed and covered with a thin sheen of sweat in the light.

I sat on the bench that travelled around the walls and waited patiently for Zoro to finish his training. When he was well past the 100s however, I spoke up, "Zoro."

Ignore. Swing.

"Are you still convinced I'm some sort of ghost?"

Ignore. Swing.

"After all these years and you're still a little kid," I muttered.

That got him. He glared at me and dumped down his weights. The ground shuddered with the impact and I suddenly was very grateful the whole room didn't come collapsing down.

"What do you want?" he said in a low voice, but he didn't face me.

"Just one question. If you answer honestly, I'll leave you alone."

He didn't reply but I assumed he was waiting for the question.

"Zoro, look at me," I said.

"What's the damn question?" he growled instead.

"Not until you look over here," I retorted in the same tone, "Actions speak louder than words and I want to see if you're really being honest."

After a lengthy pause, Zoro finally turned his head so I was at least able to see his unscarred eye.

I looked him straight in the eye, literally, "Am I better dead or alive to you?"

I'd already made the decision to respect whatever Zoro's answer was. It was understandable either way. But one thing kept bothering me, even as I descended the ladder a minute later.

Zoro didn't hesitate. Perhaps it was better that way; direct and immediate. The wound always healed quicker the sooner it was inflicted. But I knew one of my physical wounds was sooner to scar than this one. Especially when he was truly being honest.

"Dead."

* * *

The following days all repeated the same pattern. The crew consistently surprised me with their easy-going routines and habits. Zoro became increasingly awkward to be around. It didn't take long for the others to notice the permanent distance always between the two of us.

"Don't worry; he never opens well to newcomers. Just give it time," Brook said once. If only he knew.

Luckily, after taking apart my only communication, no one from the Marines could reach me. I didn't miss anyone, no particular person at Headquarters was that important to me anymore. But that didn't mean I forgot about my mission. I just couldn't find the right opportunity. My procrastination seemed to come back to stab me in the back.

Like how I was that close to getting thrown off the ship when Chopper discovered the sack of candy from Fishman Island tucked away in the storage room. With my cover story of amnesia I barely managed to talk my way out of that one. Fortunately, Chopper drew the conclusion that I must have been a human slave on the Island, got involved in the battle and escaped with the rest of the slaves. I stole some food to survive and I came across their ship and decided to rest inside. He also guessed I'd gotten nightmares, perhaps from post-traumatic disorder and hit my head somewhere in the process.

Luffy's trust in me didn't drop one bit; instead he just shouted for Sanji to make a dessert out of the candy, which Sanji promptly did, but offered it to the women on the ship. As per usual, I gave mine to Luffy out of mental gratitude that he was so naïve.

All throughout this whole time, Zoro didn't say one word to me and I left him alone as promised.

I kept wondering if I should just go up to the crow's nest just for the heck of it and see how Zoro was, even if he didn't speak to me. But I could never carry through.

One day though, exactly one week after my last conversation with Zoro, my new naïve captain, of all people, did my work for me.

Zoro was just making his way down from the crow's nest, on a rare occasion, when Luffy stretched his head from where he sat on the ship's figurehead. Zoro flinched when he saw the severed-looking head of his captain stretching beside him. Luffy's expression was deep in thought.

"Ne, Zoro," said Luffy's head, "I've been thinking…"

"What?" said Zoro. By now, everyone was listening, since they were standing in the middle of the deck.

"I haven't seen Kuina fight yet!" Luffy said. He turned his dismembered-looking head towards me, "Hey, are you strong?"

I shrugged, "Depends on who you ask."

"She's strong," said Zoro, his tone hinting Luffy should drop the topic.

If Luffy heard that, he ignored it, "Ne, Zoro, I wanna see Kuina fight."

Nami was one of the first to pick up on what he was saying, "Luffy, don't make Kuina fight! She has amnesia for God's sake. Knowing him," she pointed at Zoro, "He'd accidentally chop her head off!"

"OI!" yelled Zoro.

"No, wait," Chopper intervened, "If Kuina was a swordswoman before she lost her memories, it might actually trigger something if she does something familiar to her. In a way, it might actually be beneficial."

"Interesting thought," agreed Robin.

"But, still…" said Franky, looking between me and Zoro. I hadn't noticed until then exactly how fragile I looked beside Zoro and I hated that.

"Just don't go too hard on her," said Usopp.

Zoro unsheathed his swords silently, "Got it."

"No," I protested. Everyone looked at me, even Zoro.

"Screw that," I said, looking directly at Zoro, "Give me everything you've got. Don't hold back."

"K-Kuina-san!" said Brook, a sense of panic in his voice.

"W- Oi, Kuina-kwun, wait a second!" said Sanji, "That guy's a demon! A demon!" he added for good measure.

I didn't listen to anyone. I could only see Zoro's mouth slowly going up into a challenging smile.

"All right," he said, a smirk in his voice, "Don't hold back either."

For the first time, it actually seemed he was happy I was alive.

* * *

For some reason, everyone deemed it too dangerous to even be on the deck. I could see everyone's faces squished up against the kitchen door's window, fighting for a view. Well, except for Robin, whose ability allowed her to sprout an eye and watch us that way. And also, for one other person.

"Whoo! Go!" Luffy cheered from the top of the stairs, right beside the kitchen door. He clapped like a little kid at the circus. For a second, I worried about his safety but then laughed at myself for being such an idiot.

"Are you all safe yet?" yelled Zoro, finally pissed off from waiting for everyone's precautions.

"Yep!" came the reply and a laugh from Luffy.

"Whenever you're ready," I replied, unsheathing my sword. I reached back and plucked the little Mushi from his place on my sheath, "You might want to go somewhere safe, OK?"

I placed him on the ground and he scrambled away to hide behind a barrel.

As soon as I stood up, Zoro charged towards me. I raised my sword to block his blow, the metallic ringing echoing around the deck. Immediately, he twisted, aiming a cut to my head. I ducked and scraped my sword off his, swinging my sword in an arc to cut his side.

Zoro jumped back, crossing his swords in the process. He released a barrage of cuts towards me.

Seven. I blocked each of them, deflecting them towards the sky. When I deflected the last one, I spun the sword in my hand and held it horizontally, running one of my fingers just above its edge. Immediately a silvery, almost transparent Haki cloaked the sword.

"Let's go, Haki," I murmured, raising my sword. In front of me, I saw Zoro, Luffy and Sanji flinch. They could sense the Haki.

I swung my sword lengthways releasing eight cuts of Haki. Each took on the shape of a wolf, almost transparent in colour.

Zoro sensed them at the last second and spun, creating a twister that destroyed six of the cuts. The last two were just deflected. Right towards the kitchen.

I felt panic get stuck in my throat. _Shit!_

As the twister died, I knew Zoro sensed them too and turned, making a frustrated sound.

Sanji burst out of the kitchen, his leg engulfed in flames and kicked away one of the wolves, grunting.

"Armament: Hardening!" Luffy said, punching the other in the opposite direction. Where the two landed, a huge pillar of water exploded into the air like a geyser. Water sprayed over the deck, lasting a few seconds.

"You trying to get us killed, you stupid Marimo!" yelled Sanji. Flames surrounded him, despite the rain.

"Oi, Kuina, you use Haki! That's awesome!" exclaimed Luffy, not seeming bothered in the least.

I hardly heard them. Why did I panic? The whole point was to kill them anyway! Why?

I didn't see Zoro jumped towards me and barely dodged a fatal cut. It clipped a section of my shoulder and I bit my tongue against the cry of pain. Blood soaked my sleeve and ran down my arm.

I tossed my sword to my other good arm and swung upwards. Zoro raised his swords to block but the impact pushed him back. In those precious seconds, I swung my sword in a diagonal direction with the face facing Zoro. A Haki in the shape of a tiger emerged and opened its mouth in a silent roar as it charged. Zoro raised his head and charged ahead.

The idiot, he was colliding it head on! I ran forward and leapt into the tiger. Haki wasn't a solid energy, anyone could pass through it unharmed if they had a strong will. But when I concealed attacks within it, mostly only strong willed ones could sense the cuts and defend against them.

Inside the tiger, the Haki form wrapped around my sword, responding to me as its host. I swung downwards. Zoro blocked against me, his arm shaking slightly under the pressure. When our swords collided, a powerful force spread across the deck, blowing my hair back from my face. I smiled.

The original cuts I'd placed within the tiger had a normal appearance now that my sword had taken away the tiger's body but it didn't change their power. They zoomed ahead, connecting with Zoro, creating deep cuts. Blood gushed from the wounds and Zoro coughed back some blood.

"Pretty good," he said, as he pushed away from me. The wind died down and my hair fell back over my shoulders, getting soaked in blood on one side.

"You've gotten better since then," Zoro watched the Haki dancing around my sword.

I smirked, "You too."

We ran towards each other again but a voice rang out.

"Stop!"'

We both paused, our swords inches from each other.

"What, Luffy?" said Zoro, sounding somewhat pissed.

"That's enough," Luffy said simply.

Zoro's eye darted back to Luffy and his raised sword. Luffy stood firm. Zoro lowered his sword and sheathed it, "Fine."

I followed his actions.

"Besides, it's lunchtime!"

"Are you kidding me?" yelled Zoro, and flinching, his eye looking at his side where a deep gash was.

"Zoro! Kuina!" cried Chopper, running out of the kitchen once deeming it safe enough. He ran straight up to both of us, took in our injuries and ordered us to the infirmary. He had to turn into his 'Heavy Point' to wrestle Zoro in there, despite Zoro's many protests.

"It really isn't that bad," muttered Zoro, sitting beside me on the bed as Chopper mixed something at his desk. He pattered over when he was done and looked at both of us, "You both need stitches but first I'll disinfect your wounds." He hopped up on the bed beside my injured shoulder, "The blood flow stopped," he said, sounding surprised, "That was quick…"

He shook himself but he was frowning in thought.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No," Chopper answered, but he hesitated at my wound, "Kuina, can you lower your sleeve a bit so I can disinfect the surrounding area too?"

"Oh, sure," I said, slipping my arm out of my sleeve. The side of my shirt dropped to just above the middle of my chest.

"I'm going," said Zoro, standing up abruptly.

"Don't you dare!" yelled Chopper, "Sit!"

Zoro flinched and sat back down but he refused to look at me. It took me a few seconds to figure out why.

"You're such a baby," I said, noticing his face was the slightest red, "You can't even see anything." I couldn't deny I'd definitely 'filled out' since my teens but it wasn't anything Zoro hadn't seen just by looking at Nami, for example. Mine were probably a couple sizes smaller too so I couldn't really figure out his reaction.

"I'm not a pervert like the Ero-Cook," said Zoro. I rolled my eyes as Chopper worked efficiently. The disinfectant stung but not enough to hurt. I sat quietly until he was satisfied. I pulled up my top, the metallic scent seeming to linger on it now. I wondered if Nami and Robin would mind me borrowing one of their shirts.

"Just rest and don't exert it too much," Chopper advised.

I grabbed my sword and left, "Yeah."

After I closed the door, I heard Chopper go over to Zoro, "Zoro, your face is red."

"Shut up or I'll leave."

"NO!"

I had to hold back a laugh. I still remembered that same look on his face when we were young, when I talked about my body changing. He really hadn't changed.

_Such a kid, _I laughed.

* * *

I took a pass on many of the tops I found in the drawers. Finally I settled on a dusty rose-gold tank top. The neckline was lower than I'd intended but the material was comfy at least. I just did up a few top buttons on my jacket to cover that up.

When I washed the dried blood out of my hair, I went to the back railing, which the crew had named 'my spot' now since I was almost always there. But it was nice back here. The wind wasn't too strong and hardly anyone was around. I did laugh at the crew's antics but sometimes I also needed to be somewhere alone to think.

In this case, to think about the confusing things this mission was doing to me. My head was full of voices telling me to kill the Straw Hats. I'd once heard there were two sides to a brain; the analytical side and the more emotional side. Right now, the smarter part of my brain was yelling at me to just fucking kill them already. But then the other kept finding excuses to put it off.

In the last couple of days, I'd forgotten I was an assassin. I'd forgotten where the place I called home was. I had forgotten how the Nobles' assassins were supposed to be lone wolves. Unconsciously, somehow, I found myself with a pack. With friends.

Was I just trying to get close to them to kill them? Or was I using 'to kill them' as an an excuse to get close to them? I couldn't figure out my thoughts.

A squawk caused me to look up. A seagull with a brown satchel slung over its body dropped down a rolled-up newspaper, squawking again before flying off. I caught the newspaper with one hand, neatly bound with a rubber band. I slipped it off and unrolled it. Might as well see what the rest of the world was doing. Which new pirates might be on my next to-kill list.

More articles on the Straw Hats' comeback, an interesting article about many pirates randomly popping out of the sea simultaneously from Fishman Island. All were taken into custody by Marines; notably G-5. And… a huge headline taking up one page alone, right in the centre.

'_**WORLD NOBLE ANNOUNCES A 'HUGE ASSASINATION THAT WILL SHOCK THE WORLD''**_

_What?_

In a panic, I practically ripped the next page in my hurry to turn it.

' _**IT hasn't been a secret that World Nobles employ a special set of staff to attend to their daily duties in order to keep their respective Noble safe. However, it appears a certain World Noble, Saint Charloss, currently living at the exclusive Holy Land of Mariejois on Sabaody Archipelago, has stepped up the ante, publicly announcing a 'huge assassination that will shock the world'.**_

_**The renowned World Noble's speech was, as heard:**_

'_**There are too many pirates walking around as they please now. It makes me sick! This is why I have assigned my top assassin to deal with one particular group personally! We will destroy all the pirates in the world; one group at a time!'**_

_**Pictured left, Saint Charloss went on further to promise the assassinated targets shall be displayed and revealed at Marineford, most notably known for being the location of the Whitebeard War two years prior. The location has since been repaired and is currently under preparation to reveal the 'huge assassination' which Saint Charloss promises shall be available to broadcast for the entire world. **_

_**Popular speculations for assassination targets include the Yonko or Whitebeard Pirates. However, there are also speculations around the Straw Hat Pirates, who recently made a comeback—'**_

My hands shook so much; I crumpled the thin paper in my grasp until I couldn't read the next sentence. I didn't want to. Ignorance is bliss.

But every sentence, every word, reverberated in my head as if thinking about them would change their meaning.

There were incidences of this happening before. I knew; everyone heard the stories.

When an assassin couldn't do their job properly or quickly enough; or when they had run away, it was seen as treason. They would get one final warning. But the official stories finished then. Rumours circulated about Buster Calls being initiated, about Shichibukai hunting down assassins, about lifetime imprisonment in Impel Down, all for the sake of silencing runaway assassins.

I remembered I'd dismembered my Den Den Mushi. They couldn't contact me.

This newspaper article was my final warning. I looked at Charloss' face in the picture; smug and arrogant as he addressed a large crowd. I could almost hear his voice in my head.

'_Final warning, Kuina.'_

Somehow, through the labyrinth in my head, I picked one question out of the mess. How long? How long did they give me?

My hands were trembling when I lifted them from the paper.

'_**All will be revealed in three days.'**_

* * *

**Whew~ So, things are moving along pretty quickly but hey~ :D**

**Read and Review~**


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

* * *

**There's going to be a pretty big build-up to the climax of this story, so yes, it will be quite dragged out and not as fast-paced as before. But I really want to have some good moments between Kuina and the whole crew so it's more meaningful and realistic that she cares about them so much. **

**Plus, of course, Zoro's a pretty hard nut to crack so Kuina also has to keep working at fixing their relationship, with all its ups and downs.**

**Also, for anyone wondering, the Straw Hats already exploded out of the ocean and landed in the New World while Kuina was still asleep and having nightmares. In the actual 'One Piece', I don't think it took too long for them to travel up from Fishman Island so, yeah, just to clear that up.**

* * *

Looking back before, I'd always wondered about some of the lessons Aokiji had taught me. To fend for yourself, attack tactics, infiltration techniques, defensive moves, those I'd understood. But there was one lesson he'd taught me, on the last day of him being my mentor.

It was when I was around eighteen. I remembered the chilling wind howling around me and the feel of the hard-packed ground beneath my feet. I was on an island I couldn't remember its name; Aokiji was very spontaneous in picking locations to fight. Usually wherever was free and dead of life, he said. I remembered the steady, even panting and my heart thumping away in my chest.

"OK, that's it for today," Aokiji said, dusting himself off and straightening up into his tall frame. His clothes and cloak were dusty and cut in some areas. I'd been proud then; it was a feat to get him to even bend over whenever I fought him when I first started at fourteen.

"That's it?" I complained at the time. I refused to sheath my sword, trying to get him to fight me.

Aokiji frowned at me and walked past me, placing a hand on my sword edge. Ice crept around it as he pushed it down with such force I almost fell forward, "Enough, Kuina. Sheath your sword. We've already done enough damage to overkill this island."

I looked around. The ground was covered with thick crevasses, opaque ice crystals glittering at the edges. Geysers of ice spikes rose out of the ground, coming to a sharp edge. All around me, fragments of ice and rock were sprinkled around the ground, like confetti at a wedding.

"Manage your feelings. Never let emotions become your first instinct. Never let your enemies see you're afraid. The moment you look afraid is the moment you lose. In some cases, a poker face can become your best defence," said Aokiji. Under his breath, I thought I heard him mutter, "This is why I thought you were naïve."

I glared; about to make a slice at him, but controlled myself. If I attacked him, I'd only prove him right.

I relented and tried to jab my sword into my sheath.

"How can I?" I muttered, looking at the thick coating of ice. It was nearly twice as thick and impossible to put in my sheath.

Aokiji didn't even pretend he didn't hear me, "Fine, then just carry it."

He walked calmly over to the edge of the island where it abruptly dropped off into a steep cliff-face. Crashing waves and roughly eroded rocks waited below, completing a definite drop to death.

For normal people anyway. I was groaning more in my head than worrying for Aokiji as he stepped off the edge, walking at that same pace.

After a few seconds, I followed him. The ocean had frozen over as I landed smoothly on it.

"Come on, we're walking back," he simply said and began walking at an easy pace. I followed him, finding little point in arguing.

It was silent for a few minutes as we both walked. Then Aokiji casually mentioned, "What are you, kid, nineteen, twenty?"

"Eighteen," I corrected. His absent-mindedness was something I'd gotten used to it already.

"Huh," he said, "You were only a shrimp when you came here. You've grown pretty fast."

"It isn't like you to talk all sentimental," I noted.

Aokiji shrugged, "I was just making sure."

"Why?"

"You've become very lethal very quickly. Just four years," he chuckled to himself.

"It's not like I'm the first," I said, "You must have taught a lot of assassins."

Aokiji didn't reply and the conversation dropped. I didn't think to bring it up again until the tips of Mariejois appeared on the horizon. When we reached it, Aokiji created ice steps embedded into the wall and climbed up, never changing pace. I followed.

"Same time tomorrow?" I asked, expecting the same answer as I started off towards my room. I really needed a shower, I thought.

"Nah," Aokiji replied instead, "Kuina, today you're done."

"What?" I turned around to look at him. He stood straight as always, the same casual, bored look on his face.

"Done?" I uttered out finally when he didn't say a word.

"Yeah." His head tilted to the side, "Well, actually, there's one more exam. Last one though, and it shouldn't take too long for you." He inclined his head back towards the sea of ice, "I hid something back there. Find it."

With that, he kept walking, scratching his head and muttering about being hungry.

"W… Oi… REALLY?" I wanted to scream at him but held my tongue, his 'emotions' lesson flashing through my mind again. Suddenly it occurred to me he might have left that lesson for last on purpose. Fucking old geezer.

When Aokiji disappeared, I turned back on my heel and descended the large steps again, hesitating when I reached the bottom. Aokiji's Ice Age could stretch for miles and last for over a week. I began to wonder exactly how long this was going to take.

"…_It shouldn't take too long for you."_

I began to wonder what he meant by that. I ran each lesson he taught me through my head and cut it down to the one that applied. Lesson 48: Use your natural ability to your advantage.

_Kenbunshoku Haki, _I'd commanded, letting the energy direct my mind. The ice floor blurred beneath me when I flew over it, scanning for something unique. Coral, plants and sand were all trapped between the layers of ice. The Haki guided me around rocks set deep into the ice, icy tendrils crawling up its sides.

I was getting tired after a while; the blurriness of the ice speeding beneath me made me dizzy and the wide platform of land overwhelmed me. I hadn't covered much at all; I scolded myself so I kept myself at it, navigating through the ice.

It wasn't until two days later that I finally found it. I moved locations occasionally since my Haki could only go so far. But finally I saw a thin sliver of something buried deep within the ice, set between two thick layers. I made my way towards it, almost slipping over in my haste. It didn't help I was deprived of sleep either.

Finally, I reached it, practically crawling on my hands and knees by then. The cool ice pressed against my palms and turned them a bright red but I pressed on until I saw the thin, rectangular sliver between my hands in front of me.

"This is it!" I breathed, my fingers tracing its shape. Without another pause, I unhitched my sword, still frozen solid and whacked it against the ice floor. It remained flawless, its watery surface reflecting my face. I hit it again, repeating the action until a crack appeared. Slowly the ice began falling off the metal until at least half its edge was exposed. That was enough.

I scratched my sword against the ice, peeling off a layer. Somehow I was afraid of damaging whatever Aokiji sent me to find. It was a slow process and my anticipation grew with each layer.

When the ice was too thin to scrape off, I turned my sword around, edge down, and began carefully chiselling around the object, making thin, feathery strokes.

The ice gave way. I pushed my hand through, feeling the ice break beneath my palm. My fingers curled around something cold but warmth surged through me at the touch. I pulled it out; the black thin shape reaching tall above me.

"No way, old man," I chuckled, my thumb tracing over intricate bronze lines raised on the smooth, black hilt, dark as the deepest storm cloud. A matching sheath covered the light, silver sword. When I turned it edge-on, it the sword was thin as paper yet I felt it was sharp enough to cut through steel.

"I hope you appreciate that; it took a hell of a time to find," Aokiji's voice said behind me. When I turned around, he approached me, walking pleasantly on his handiwork.

I smiled, "Thanks, old man."

"You'll need that," Aokiji said, "Be sure to take good care of it."

I looked at him, "For what?"

"Training," he said simply.

"You said I was done," I said.

"With me. You're getting a new teacher. He can teach you a lot more than I can."

I frowned at him, suddenly on guard, "Who's my new teacher?"

Aokiji just smiled a lazy smile, "Don't worry. Just as long as you remember that lesson I taught you, you'll survive with him."

* * *

It was that last lesson ringing through my head that snapped me out of my trance. I shook myself, _the moment you look afraid is the moment you lose._

I forced my facial features to blend back into a smooth poker face and calmly folded the newspaper, sealing away Charloss' article, and shoved it up my sleeve. I couldn't risk anyone from the crew seeing this. It was too coincidental; no matter how much Luffy trusted me, he had to think of his main crew's safety first. Luckily, the paper was pretty thin and moulded to the shape of my arm so it didn't create extra bulk. I would just dump it first chance I got and hope a new paper came out soon.

Behind me, I heard a door shut and Chopper's voice, "DON'T TRAIN AS HARD FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS AT LEAST!"

"It's just a scratch!" said Zoro.

"THAT NEEDED STITCHES!"

"You might as well listen to him," I said, descending down the steps, "You know he'll never let it go."

"I'm fine," muttered Zoro, shooting me a dark look.

"I was talking to Chopper," I said.

"But still…" said Chopper as comprehension dawned on his face, "His wounds…"

"He'll be fine," I brushed off, "If someone argues that much for something, it's not worth taking it away from him."

Chopper contemplated that for a moment, looking at Zoro. Finally he sighed, "OK… but come straight back if anything happens!"

A hint of a smile twitched at Zoro's mouth, "Yeah." He gave me a somewhat confused, part suspicious look to which I just smiled back before he walked away.

"Ne, Kuina, you really care for Zoro, don't you?" Chopper watched me from under his blue and red hat.

"Huh?" I looked at him at the sudden question. Then I shrugged, "Well, I guess."

Suddenly, a geyser exploded out of the ocean, right beside the ship. I snapped out of my thoughts and my training kicked in.

"Get down!" I yelled to Chopper who promptly did and unsheathed my sword. Its silver edge gleamed in the shadow of the wave curving over the Sunny.

I ran a finger above its edge and made a horizontal cut. As it met the wave, it exploded with a large force, sending droplets of water raining over the deck.

"What…?" began Chopper when I sensed something else, a second before a large creature emerged out of a sudden whirlpool. I caught the sight of gleaming scales, a pale, milky eye with a pointed horn sitting right above it and the two sharp edges of fangs from its open mouth. The creature raised his head in a reverberating roar.

"Chopper, get Nami," I said over the noise, brushing aside the wet hair that clung to my face, "We need to get out of this whirlpool and quick." The Sunny was a strong ship, but even warships couldn't get out of a whirlpool on sturdiness alone.

"Y-Yeah!" said Chopper, "But, that thing—" His eyes widened as the streams running down the creature's face thinned and finally the body was in full view, "HUGE!"

"Don't worry about it, just go," I told him as reassuringly as I could. The raining sea-water wasn't helping the cause. I could already see Chopper's stance drooping a bit as seawater splashed against him and clung to his fur in droplets.

Chopper nodded and hurried off, shaking off the rain.

"A New World creature," I muttered, looking at him. He stared back in that milky way, as if unseeing and blind. I moved forward, testing his sight, until I stood right on the railing.

The waves moved beneath me, parting as if making way for something. I jumped back as a huge, long tail propelled out of the water, glistening with the same scales and ended with a fish's fin. It made a slow, lazy curve and swished quickly towards me. I moved to block it, the force pushing me back against the wall. I felt a splintering behind me and grit my teeth. I had to take this fight to the ocean. I couldn't risk damaging the ship.

"Level Two," I murmured, quickly swiping two fingers along my sword. A second, thin layer of Haki merged with the other, creating a silvery-metal blue glow. I braced both hands on my hilt and slashed forward with Haki.

A large cut formed in the creature's tail. Crimson blood spurted from the wound and splashed across the deck, quickly getting washed away in the rain that formed. A pained howl echoed across the ocean as the tail retracted. Without a second thought, I grabbed onto one severed half of the tail. The water and blood made it slippery to touch so I stabbed my sword into it instead, right where the tail met the fin.

I was swung around for a flip as the creature tried to shake me off. I grit my teeth and lodged my sword deeper into him. It was hard to see in the torrents of rain and seawater swirling around my face in a blur. Occasionally I'd see flashes of the creature's body or the ship as I was flung around.

The creature let out a frustrated howl and flung me straight downwards towards a boulder jutting out some hundred metres from the ship. I had a flash of my head impaled on the sharp edge and flinched, bracing my arms.

Right before I connected with the rock, I wrenched my sword free and slashed downwards, cleanly cutting the boulder in two. I fell head-first through the gap I made but it was better than hitting my head on the rock.

I stretched out an arm and grabbed the edge of one boulder half, the momentum of my body falling jarring my wrist for a second. I flinched and hauled myself up, finding a safe foothold in the slippery rock. I was soaked with water, blood and who knew what else but my senses were still sharp. I raised my sword a second before the creature's head burst out of the water in front of me, its hungry jaws open, fangs exposed like a snake.

I sliced once, twice, thrice with Haki-infused attacks. One chopped off its head, one sliced its body in two and the third cleanly cut off the few scales located at the bottom of his soft belly, the ones that were black as midnight.

The pieces smashed into the water, sending up metre tall waves with the impact. I almost fell down then, touching the spots on my jeans where the creature's blood had splashed on. The material was eaten away and my skin underneath was flaring with small red welts.

"Like corrosive acid," I muttered. I spied the set of black scales drifting slowly in the calm waters. The whirlpool had subsided with the death of the creature and the storm clouds had parted. Slowly, I inched towards the edge of the boulder and carefully climbed down, ignoring the fact that my welts almost doubled in size by then.

When my leg touched the water, I had to bite down hard on my tongue to stop the scream building in my throat. It _burned_! Sea water was not going to help my cause, but just when I thought about climbing back up, those same words ran through my head.

_The moment you look afraid is the moment you lose… _

And his words, my new teacher with the golden eyes of a predator, _'From now on, you're the lone wolf of the Marines. No one's going to help you so learn to survive yourself.'_

With that thought, I forced myself out into the ocean, wading slowly to the scales floating so far away.

The water was soaked with the blood of the creature, like a swimming pool of pure acid. With each paddle, more blood hit my skin and burnt like hell. My eyes were about to overflow with my urge to bawl like a kid out of pain before I finally reached the scales. As my hand closed around them, I breathed a sigh of relief despite the pain.

"Kuina-kwun!"

I looked up at Sanji walking over air. He was soaked, with water, thankfully.

But I was surprised, Sanji knew Rokushiki techniques?

The curiosity was short-lived when Sanji cut off his technique and landed in the water beside me.

"Wait! Oi, don't—!" I cried when Sanji resurfaced, patches of his face somewhat red and welting. I resisted the urge to punch his head right then, "Are you crazy? The water's acid!"

"Who cares about that?" Sanji said. For once, he actually seemed serious around me, "If Kuina-kwun has to suffer through it, then I will too! Especially since we were too late," he muttered.

I was so shocked into silence, I didn't protest as his arms went around me despite the fact his arms must be burning. With a kick he lifted clear out of the water and walked on air, going to kick up my sword into my arms before he set back off to the ship.

When we landed, everyone gathered around, a flurry of worried questions. Luffy was the first to reach me, taking me by the shoulders, "Kuina? Oi, you OK?"

I managed a nod, "Yeah." Suddenly, I had a thought and looked back over the side of the railing, "The water's filled with the thing's blood. It's like acid. We have to get away from here."

Franky looked to Luffy who gave a quick nod and dashed off with him to prepare something below the ship.

"Those injuries look severe," said Robin with wide eyes as she took in me and Sanji. She looked over to the creature in the distance and back at our wounds, "That's an Acid Sea King," she said, "It's said its acid is so strong, its own body can't handle it. That's why most of them have incredibly impaired sight and a sickly white complexion. When its born however, all of them actually have black scales. But because of its strong acid, it often damages itself when its young. The wounds inflicted by it can only be cured with its black scales. As it grows, they keep biting off the scales from their tail and body to counter the acid. However, the only place they can't reach is their underbelly so the cure usually lies there for those poisoned by it."

"These?" I said, holding out the black scales. My voice was growing softer and I suddenly felt tired.

Robin's eyes widened even further, "Yes."

"Hurry, get in the infirmary," said Nami, concern filling her eyes as she took both of us by the arm and led us up the steps where Chopper was waiting.

I handed the scales over to Chopper who quickly ushered us into the infirmary. Sanji let me have the bed while he sat on the floor as Chopper made a thick, gooey black paste out of the scales and slathered it on our wounds before bandaging them up. It had a cooling and soothing effect as opposed to sea water. I was grateful Sanji insisted Chopper tend my injuries first and shot him a smile of thanks.

As Chopper was bandaging up Sanji, he frowned, "Wait a minute. I'll come back with more bandages," he said, running off.

"Sanji," I said as the door closed.

"Hai~?"

I hoped he was still serious; I guess it was too far-fetched but I asked my question anyway, "What did you mean, out there?"

"Hm?" said Sanji, snapped back to his normal self, "What?"

"When you said I was suffering so you had to, as well." No matter how I thought of it; it was completely illogical. The whole point of this world really was that the strong lived and the weak died. To want to suffer with someone when the obvious choice was to abandon them and save themselves was completely confusing to me.

"Yeah, what about it?" asked Sanji as if the most normal thing in the world.

"Why did you save me? I was clearly going to die there," I said.

Sanji flinched slightly at my bold statement but I knew it was a true enough and I waited for his answer.

"Kuina-kwun, honestly…" said Sanji, looking as if suppressing a laugh. He did let a smile show though, "Sometimes I think you forget, but you are our nakama. You agreed when Luffy asked and with that comes everyone wanting to protect you."

I shook my head, still not completely wrapping my mind around the idea, "You should have just left me there. If you had, you wouldn't be hurt now."

Sanji just shrugged, his smile gone, "If you truly wanted to die, I would have left you there."

"Then why didn't you?" I said, "I was going to die there and if you'd left me, it'd be one less casualty."

"Maybe," Sanji said, "But you wanted to live. That's why I couldn't leave."

I looked at him evenly, "How could you possibly know that?"

Chopper decided to return at that very moment, carrying a load of bandages which he promptly began wrapping up Sanji with until he resembled some sort of mummy.

During all this, the Sunny exploded out of the water with such force, I had to grab the edge of the bed to steady myself, flinching at the pain of the sudden motion. The Coup de Burst, Chopper told me with a sympathetic look and advised me to brace myself for the descent. The ship landed with a loud splash and a torrent of water rising in waves on all sides.

"We seem to be in the clear," said Brook, coming inside, "We flew far enough away from the acid, I think."

"Good," said Chopper, "Where are we now?"

"Nami-san says about two days to the nearest island. We may have to stock up on supplies."

"Yeah," agreed Chopper, "Thanks."

"How are you both?" Brook asked us.

"Fine," we both answered.

Brook smiled in relief and composed himself, "Well then, on a different note, Kuina-san, may I see your—"

"Out!" ordered Chopper, "No panties, no songs, nothing until their wounds are treated!"

He hustled Brook out who was cracking skull jokes. In the meantime, I whispered discreetly to Sanji, "So, how did you know… I didn't want to die?"

Sanji just chuckled as if the answer were obvious, "If you truly wanted to die, you wouldn't have gone for the scales."

I was shocked into silence as Chopper managed to get Brook out. Sanji stood up, "Well, it's almost time for Luffy's snack," he observed.

"W-Wait, Sanji…" said Chopper.

Sanji just waved off his concerns, "Just give me a cigarette and I'll be fine."

"No you won't!" yelled Chopper as Sanji disappeared through the door. He sighed and turned to me, "Oh, yeah, Kuina, thank you for the scales!"

"Huh?" I said, looking at him in confusion.

"For these," he showed me the dark scales. But mixed in them were some silvery white ones too. I must have cut some off by accident when I aimed for the black scales.

"What about them?" I asked.

"These scales aren't as strong as the black ones and they can't counter something as strong as acid but they can be used for burns to heal them instantly. It's one of the best medicines for burns," he added chirpily, "So thank you!" He suddenly jumped up onto me, wrapping his tiny limbs around my waist, smiling.

For a second I was so shocked, I almost reached for my sword. _DANGER, DANGER! _A voice screamed in my head as my first instinct.

But I couldn't do anything but smile back at his expression, placing my hand on his head, the other around his little body, like a kid's, "You're welcome."

Almost like an instant reminder, I saw my sword when I opened my eyes, streaked with the blood of the creature. Somehow it didn't break down; perhaps the acid didn't affect metal? It gleamed brightly with dark blood. Someday soon, it would be streaked with the blood of the very one I was patting right now.

I didn't know if Chopper could tell but my grip around him tightened at that thought.

* * *

It wasn't until night that I finally had some alone time again by the back railing. Between the worried questioning, pleas for a retelling of how I beat the monster (mostly by Usopp, Chopper, Luffy and Brook), dinner and everything in between, it was yet another chaotic day as a member of the Straw Hats.

The calm waters lapped at the sides of the ship as I sat against the railing, sharpening my sword on a piece of whetstone Franky had handy. The sword had lasted a good number of years and was generally always sharp anyway, but I had promised Aokiji I'd take care of it. I sharpened and polished it until both the edge and hilt shone.

It was in that position that Zoro found me; coming around the side of the ship. I didn't really know why but he always seemed to find me after his training.

"You know, you could pull up your shirt every once in a while," I said, nodding at Zoro's half-naked state.

"Where were you exactly for the past few years?" Zoro asked, ignoring my comment.

"Around," I evaded the question.

"Don't bullshit with me," said Zoro lowly, "You've already been in the New World haven't you?"

I looked up at him at that, "What makes you say that?"

"Apart from the fact you're strong enough to, you took on the creature single-handedly for some reason."

"I'm just reckless," I said.

"You've already fought it before."

"Zoro, whether or not I fought it before, I would have jumped straight at it single-handedly anyway."

"Maybe, but then you also knew what its blood would do."

"Quick thinking," I shrugged.

"And you knew where the cure was."

"Well, it couldn't have made it more obvious," I said, "It was a bunch of black scales on a white body for god's sake."

"How long have you been in the New World?"

"I haven't—"

"I don't believe in coincidences."

I glared at him, "Are you going to let me finish?"

He waited.

I had to choose my words carefully, "I have been in the New World before. Not for very long, albeit. It was just one time. My… teacher, I guess," _more like trainer, really, _"took me out here once. One of those Acid Sea Kings came up and my teacher slayed it but I could see its abilities and their effects. He told me about them and where the cures were located. That's it."

Zoro still seemed suspicious but I knew he saw the honesty in my face. Still he looked evenly at me, with that ever-sceptical look he seemed to have permanently etched on his face, "Fine. You bullshit so much nowadays, it doesn't even make a difference."

On that note, he left.

I sighed mentally and tried to push his words to the back of my mind but they lingered around, unable to disappear. I finally acknowledged them after ten minutes of trying to get rid of them.

Zoro was right. I was bullshitting my way through this too much. I kept hoping for something impossible and in the end, all I was doing was lying lie after lie.

It had to stop, one way or another.

"The next island," I whispered a promise to myself, "At the next island, you will definitely carry through."

Below me, the sword I'd been carrying for almost a decade reflected back at me, gleaming at my resolve. But there was something else.

A crack, right at the base, creeping like a thread of spider's web. The first crack I ever had on this sword.

* * *

**Right now, I'm planning for the next chapter to be pure nakama goodness~ It's probably going to be a lot more light-hearted than the rest of this fanfic. I've started wondering about the ending to this story (it won't come for a while though) too. It probably won't end how you guys are thinking though~ Just a heads up for those who read this~ :D**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

_One more day until we reach the island, _I thought, sitting up against the back railing. My relationship with Zoro had taken an abrupt turn off a cliff despite all the progress I'd been making, slowly and surely. Apparently not.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say," I muttered, fingering the edge of my sheathed sword. Seeing it always seemed to calm me, especially in situations like this. Looking at it, I remembered the swordfights Zoro and I had in the dojo. Those were simple days. I always beat him and I had no trouble doing so. Now that I was older, I had to go a step further and actually fight for the kill.

As soon as that thought went into my head, I chased it away; as if paranoid someone on the ship was a mind-reader. I didn't want to think about it too much; it was best to keep it as simple and uncomplicated as possible. Plus I was sure everyone on the ship was more perceptive than I gave them credit for and didn't want to risk a slip in my expression to give away the game.

One thing kept bothering me though. I pushed the sheath off my sword to reveal a sliver of metal. That _one _little crack right near the base, thin as a piece of spider's web yet it was enough to make me worry.

With a frustrated sound, I pushed myself off the railing and started towards the workshop.

* * *

Usopp's workshop was a somewhat cluttered yet organised in its own way sort of room. A large banner hammered on the wall declared it 'Usopp Factory'. There was also a desk, drawing board, toolbox and barrel of blueprints. Usopp was out somewhere, I supposed he was helping Franky with something or listening to his stories with Luffy, Chopper and Brook. That made it easier for me to slip in at least and rummage around freely.

Usopp was a pretty inventive guy; I was sure he had to have some sort of product to fix something as small as a crack.

Or maybe not. As I scourged through his box of paraphernalia and through his storage, I couldn't find a single item. That I knew of, anyway. Maybe Usopp just made things by request.

_Then I have to go through this the hard way, _I thought, picking up my sword. Somewhere, tucked in this room, Usopp had to have some sort of heater or stove type thing.

I was right, lifting the hatch off a hidden panel. Fiddling with the knobs, I managed to get a flame started, its thin tendrils growing and shrinking, and its embers jumping for me like spit.

Almost at once, I felt hot. I had spent so much time in icy, cold conditions; I had the biggest aversion to heat. A sweat broke out on my forehead and my head throbbed slightly.

It didn't matter. I pushed in my sword, the searing heat licking up my arms to my elbows like a heat wave. I shook it off. Blacksmiths went through this every day, I reminded myself. It was a few seconds in front of the fire. I could handle it.

When my sword started to have a light orange glow, I pulled it out. My arm felt dehydrated.

I let it rest as I placed my sword on the small metal surface next to the stove, its pulsing orange glow slightly growing fainter.

I picked up a hammer from the box of stuff with my good arm and held it, testing its weight. It didn't seem too bad.

Hoping for the best, I swung lightly and hit my sword.

_Crack._

I threw the hammer away immediately and grabbed my sword hilt, lifting it to my face, completely panicked, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Somewhere in my head, I realised I was speaking to a sword but right then I didn't care. Hell, the line got _bigger_, spreading like a crack in eroded soil. Without thinking, I began blabbering to my sword, "I'm so sorry; gah, the old geezer is going to kill me, he's probably going to freeze me solid or maybe…"

"What are you doing?"

I turned and saw Usopp standing in the entrance, blinking at my state and head tilted in confusion. Then he saw me clutching my sword and understanding dawned on his face after a quick glance at the slowly dying fire in the stove.

"Geez, you could have just asked," scolded Usopp, scratching his head. He walked into his workshop, "Did you hurt yourself?"

"No," I answered, back in my normal voice.

He fiddled with his heater, relighting the flame. He reached a hand toward me, "Here, let me see."

I handed it over without a sound.

When he saw it, Usopp was silent for a few moments and poked it.

_CRACK._

"OI!" I cried, leaping half out of my seat.

"It's OK, it's OK!" said Usopp, laughing as he leaned away from me, looking at my sword, "Geez, what the hell did you do to it? Don't worry, it's fixable."

"You know about swords?" I asked, blinking. If I recalled correctly, he used Pop Greens and a slingshot as weapons.

Usopp shrugged, "A bit. Mostly I just create stuff but I do know the basics about metal and steel."

He handled my sword carefully in his steady hands, stuck it in the stove and waited, adjusting the heat occasionally.

"Hey, Kuina," Usopp said as he worked, bent over the stove.

"Yeah?"

"You ever been part of a crew?"

The question caught me off guard. But I answered anyway, "No, not particularly."

"I see," he turned it once again, "You're used to doing everything yourself, right?"

I flinched. _'No one's going to help you so learn to survive yourself'. _

"Of course…" I said quietly. It's what I was taught.

"Even if you're not good at it?"

I was silent. My sword was lucky to have never broken before now. But I always took care of it myself, even if someone else was better at it. I hated anyone else working with my sword. The old geezer had given the sword to me; made me promise to take care of it myself, nobody else. Maybe that was why I was so possessive over it.

Usopp chuckled once I didn't reply, "Don't worry. I get it."

He lifted the sword out, but the glow was lighter as he left it in longer. All over it was a beautiful pale orange-white glow. He set it down on the metal surface and picked up my discarded hammer. He tilted his head, judged it and picked out a smaller, lighter hammer from the pile.

I sat down a safe distance away from the sparks that flew with each hit, performed in steady intervals. Usopp stopped once to wipe his brow but continued without speaking.

"You're the first to work on the sword, apart from me," I said finally, listening to the steady 'clang' of metal against steel.

"Heh, really?" grinned Usopp. His grin slowly reverted to an easy smile as he worked. As the hot glow disappeared, he lifted the sword to the light, observing it from all angles, nodding. Then he replaced the hammer and lifted some sort of material from the pile, gently grinding it against the base of the sword.

At last, he lifted the sword to me and I gripped the bottom half of the hilt of the sword but Usopp didn't let go.

I looked curiously at him.

"That's the good thing about being in a crew now," Usopp said, "Everyone fills in someone else's weakness. Do the things you're good at. Let someone else do the things you're bad at. Ask for help sometimes." He grinned at me in that same way he did when he saw Franky's robotics, when he and Luffy were doing friendly banter or when he was cracking jokes with Brook. It was a grin of pure happiness, "It's OK to be weak sometimes."

He let go of the hilt. It almost fell right through my hand; I was so slow with shock. But when I caught it, the base was right in front of my face. The surface was smooth and shone, so much so, I could see every detail of my face. The crack had disappeared.

"Pretty good, huh?" said Usopp. Suddenly he struck a pose and his voice dropped some octaves, "But of course, only the great Usopp-sama can repair something so quickly! Once, I was so good at fixing cracks, I put a whole island back together!" His arms spread wide to make his point. It may have been just me, but his nose grew a bit longer.

I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing, "A whole island?"

"Sure, trees and everything!" Usopp said, "And it only took…" he looked to me.

"A second?" I asked, strangely playing along with him for some reason.

"0.000000001 of a second!" Usopp declared.

"Oi, Usopp, stop feeding lies into her head," Nami entered the room, her long orange hair swinging behind her, tied into a loose ponytail. Her heels clicked against the wooden boards and she smiled warmly at Usopp despite her scolding, "Hey, do you have the thing I asked for?"

"Yeah, right here," said Usopp, producing something out of nowhere. I saw the small box in his hand, a simple traditional treasure chest. It was about the width of his palms placed next to each other and as tall as a hand height. The edges were lined with black detailing and a golden flip-lock. When he opened it, the inside was lined with red crushed velvet material, glimmering in the soft light.

"Perfect!" Nami squealed, picking it up out of his hands, "Wow, Usopp, you did well!"

"What's it for?" Usopp asked, and then backpedalled, "Actually wait, I think I know…"

"Money, duh," Nami said, snapping the lid shut, "What else? Especially for that debt Zoro promised he'd pay me. Or else, double price…" an evil glint filled her eyes for a second followed by a Beli sign but they both disappeared as quickly as they'd come. Then she turned to me, "Oh, speaking of such, Kuina, come with me," she took me by the arm and dragged me back to the entrance, one of her hands clutching the chest.

"W-Wait, oi!" I cried, looking back at Usopp, "Can I ask for help now?"

"'No way, I'm not getting into that'," Usopp held up a sign for me to read.

"USOPP!"

* * *

"A girl's day?" I said, staring in confusion at the wine glass Nami magically produced and shoved into my hand the second I entered the room. The red liquid sloshed around in it, reminding me a lot of the high lords I'd seen get drunk off their asses on these things. Disgusted by their drunken behaviour, I'd always thought I'd never touch the stuff.

"Yeah," said Nami, pouring herself a glass, despite it being only a little before noon.

Robin sat opposite me on the seat, an easy, relaxed smile on her face as she held her own wine glass.

"Nami insisted," Robin answered when I gave her a questioning look.

"Well, everything's going crazy since we got here, what with the fighting, Acid Sea King and whatnot," Nami defended herself, "It's nice to relax once in a while. Honestly it would have been better if we could go shopping but then Sanji-san found this great wine," she took a drink and I followed her example, taking a small sip and held back the urge to gag, "… and I thought we better drink it up before Zoro gets his hands on it." Nami downed her cup in two mouthfuls. I noticed Robin was taking small sips but unlike me, she seemed to handle it well.

"This is actually pretty great!" Nami said, refilling her cup. She offered it to me, "More wine?"

"I'm fine," I refused, showing my near-full cup for proof.

Nami shrugged, "Robin?"

"Sure," she smiled. My eyes almost bugged out at her empty cup, _how did she?_

I suddenly noticed the conveniently-placed pot plant beside her.

I twitched at her, _Robin's good._

* * *

Five glasses later and Nami was beginning to get a slight colour on her cheeks. Robin was pleasant as always, 'downing' her cup at the same rate as Nami. I had barely moved off my first glass.

"So…" Nami was concluding, "All these idiots are too much of, well, idiots for me to consider liking them. I'll find a nice, rich guy someday," she declared, downing her sixth glass as if hitting home her point. I sweat-dropped.

"Kuina-san, what about you?" Robin inquired politely. Neither girl were remotely interested in their crewmates as partners apparently. I shrugged and just decided to follow their example.

Before I could open my mouth however, Nami butted in, suddenly brightening up.

"Zoro!" she exclaimed, smashing her cup on the table top. It made a loud resounding noise that almost made me jump. Even Robin widened her eyes slightly.

"Um, what?" I said, looking at Nami. She propped a leg on the couch, her elbow resting lazily on it. Her speech was still coherent but her inhibitions had definitely lowered a bit, despite Nami being notorious for being able to hold her liquor, I'd heard from Robin.

"Roronoa Zoro," Nami nodded, as if testing the name on her lips. She pointed at me and clicked her tongue, "Perfect for you."

"Huh?" I almost choked on what little wine I'd consumed, "Zoro?"

"Sure, you guys are swordsmen," Nami shrugged.

Robin chuckled, "I think there must be a bigger reason than that, Nami."

"But they're so _similar_," said Nami, turning to Robin, "Their fighting styles, their personalities… oh well, you're nicer of course," she said to me, "I hope your kids get your personality. And your sense of direction. My God if they got Zoro's direction sense," she laughed. Even Robin giggled a bit at that while I smashed my glass down, much like Nami and punched my chest to stop coughing.

"W-WHAT? KIDS?" I exclaimed, exaggerating the 's'.

Nami burst out laughing at my reaction, smacking her leg as she was almost crying tears of laughter.

"Well, I mean, it's only natural right?" Nami said, wiping away a tear, "Y'know, relationship leads to kids and stuff?"

"What's 'stuff'?" I said, "And we aren't even in a relationship!"

"You two would be cute together," Robin remarked.

"EXACTLY!" said Nami as I said, "Robin!"

"But what would your kids look like, I wonder?" Robin mused.

"Again with the kids," I emphasised the 's' again. I never even contemplated having a relationship in my life, let alone have a kid, or even more than one!

"Well, come on, Kuina, knowing how aggressive you both are, there's no way you'd stop at one," Nami rolled her eyes.

"Can we please stop?" I said, a heavy blush finding its way to my face once I understood.

"Perhaps ocean-coloured hair?" Robin continued musing, "If you combined green and blue, would you get sea-green?"

"Think so," said Nami.

I watched as their imagination combined, coming out with images of little crying babies with sea-green hair.

I cut through their thought bubble with my sword, literally. A part of the wall fell off behind them. I sheathed my sword again, making a mental note to thank Usopp later. They both looked at me then; Nami suddenly looked more alert too.

"I do admire Zoro," I said slowly, so they wouldn't misunderstand anything, "He's a great swordsman and he trains harder than should be healthy. But I don't and never will have those feelings for him." _Right now, it'd be a miracle if we're even close acquaintances. _I didn't add that last part on, though.

After a slight pause, I began to wonder if I crossed some sort of line. Maybe at girl's days, you were supposed to assume everything was a joke. I wouldn't know, either way.

But then, Robin smiled and Nami grinned, "OK. Sorry."

"Besides, don't you have a thing for Luffy?" I said, gulping down my wine. That confession had taken a lot of effort to get out and when I was done, I just craved alcohol, despite it still tasting disgusting. Strangely though, the cool liquid seemed slightly refreshing, if not a bit weird-tasting. I refilled my glass.

"Do not; he's an idiot!" cried Nami. But then, I couldn't tell if her red face was from the alcohol or blushing. Robin seemed to know the difference and laughed.

"Nico Robin, don't think you're innocent!" said Nami, pouring herself an even bigger glass of wine, "I saw your face on Water 7 that time!" I was confused but Nami gave Robin an emphatic look, "Remember? _That _time? When a certain someone almost turned Franky into a woman," she laughed loudly.

Robin's face abruptly turned to solid stone, it was so dark, "Don't mention that again." I felt shivers up my spine despite the comment not even being directed at me. Nami just snorted and drank.

Robin stared daggers for the rest of the 'girl's day'. Over time, I even forgot about the Zoro topic and slipped into the easy conversation.

So this was how it'd feel like, I thought, had I chosen to live my life any differently.

The thin newspaper pressed up against my arm the entire time, reminding me of the lifestyle I had chosen.

* * *

Alcohol didn't taste terrible to me anymore, but it turned out my body couldn't hold it well regardless. I sat against the back railing again, the sheath of the sword pressed against my head, like it could be ice. It was cool and soothing on my headache. It was only fortunate I had one more day till the island. I felt sick; the steady rocking of the ship which I used to find so soothing seemed like reinforcement to the throbbing in my head and the sick feeling in my stomach.

Nami and Robin had told me to stay inside and rest, but I refused. The room seemed stifling, I needed to be outside in the air. Chopper had come to check on me but just patted my head and promised it'd be gone soon, maybe by tomorrow.

Footsteps interrupted my thinking. I lifted the sword and sat up, "I said I'd stay outside—"

Green hair, three swords, shirtless.

"Oh, it's you," I said, slipping back into my position, "I'm sick, go away."

"It's called a hangover," Zoro said and I sensed something flying towards me. I lifted a hand and caught it. It was round and smooth. I looked at the bottle and raised a sarcastic eyebrow at Zoro, "Drinking away your drinking sorrows?" I was about to throw the thing back at him but Zoro just sat some distance opposite me and shoved the bottle back towards me. The physical power difference was almost unfair.

"Just drink it," he said, "Do you think I haven't had a hangover before? And for something much stronger than that," he added.

I looked sceptically at him but raised the bottle to my lips, taking a few tentative sips. It was good. I drank more, lifting the bottle so it was straight vertical. Whatever it was, it was cool and refreshing, and not in the alcohol buzz kind of way either. I drank almost three-quarters of the liquid in the wine bottle; and then wiped my mouth, my headache already receding.

"What is it?" I said.

"Something Ero-Cook and Chopper made," Zoro said, "Mostly because nearly everyone gets drunk and hung over when Luffy declares a celebration for something."

"No, what are you here for?" I said.

"I thought you'd be passed out," Zoro said bluntly, "Is it really your first time drinking?"

"Had to start somewhere," I said, suddenly feeling sleepy. I suddenly wished I was in bed. It was only about 8pm at night before the hangover effects settled in. I think I'd fallen asleep at about one in the afternoon and woken about ten minutes ago.

My mind was a little foggy but I refused to sleep. I was finally having a reasonable conversation with Zoro and I wasn't going to let my first hangover get in the way.

"Now who's a kid," Zoro muttered, sliding in to sit beside me but with still a little space between us where we propped our swords.

"At least I never blush when you come here shirtless," I retorted.

"That's different!" said Zoro, "Besides, I don't apologise to my sword when I crack it."

"How the hell do you even know about that?" I snapped, "Stalker."

"Says the one who was first found having a nightmare on our ship."

"Says the one who showed up at the dojo thinking he could beat me by holding ten swords."

"I wasn't stalking you then. I didn't even _know_ you then."

"You're right; you probably got lost trying to stalk someone else."

"OI!"

"Shut up; I'm sleepy." I turned over on my side and began to doze off, unable to shake the feeling off any longer.

"Don't fall asleep in the middle of an argument!"

"Good night, Zoro," I simply said.

I fell asleep to Zoro's protests. I kept thinking about Nami and Robin's talk this afternoon. Relationship and kids. I almost laughed; I had no intention to settle down for a long time and I was sure Zoro would scoff at the idea. As for feelings, I couldn't speak for Zoro but I didn't look at him that way.

For me, our relationship had too many fights and arguments to be really seen as friendship. Or at least it wasn't the first thing that came to mind when I thought of him. It sure as hell definitely was not the intimate love Nami and Robin guessed. I'd already seen Zoro's relationship with Sanji; they bickered all the time too about disagreements and competitions and minor problems they had with each other. It was a brotherly relationship. The whole crew seemed like the family I'd never seen him have. I was happy about that but I knew I couldn't join that family.

Because my relationship with Zoro had never changed.

_I should stop calling him 'kid', _I thought. He had grown a lot since then; it didn't seem to fit him anymore. I was starting to hate it too; we were on the same wavelength. 'Kid' seemed like undermining him.

Zoro. Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter, of the Straw Hat Pirates and Kuina, the Excalibur, of the Marines. Even the sides we chose opposed each other.

"We were always rivals, weren't we, Zoro?" I murmured into my dreams.

* * *

**Some bonding with the crew (especially with Zoro) will happen in the next chapter and onwards. Kuina's not going to bond with everyone in one chapter so I've spread it out a bit so she can learn a couple of things from every member of the Straw Hats.**

**Also, for the people speculating about this being a romantic story, unfortunately, Nami and Robin's imagination is as far as it's going to go. This fanfic is going to be centred on comradeship, friendship and trust and nothing more. Sorry if you were expecting differently…**

**Nevertheless, read and review~ **


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

The morning was still dark when I opened my eyes. The stars were beginning to retreat from the lighter blue spreading over the sky, each fading away like a dried stain on the sky. I groaned and sat up, my head ringing slightly but overall seemed pretty much healed. I would have to thank Chopper and Sanji later.

A thin mist surrounded the ship, leaving small droplets of condensation covering the glass windows and on my sword sheath. I guessed it was supposed to be cold but I didn't feel it, thanking the old geezer for that.

A snore sounded next to me. I turned sleepily and noticed Zoro sleeping beside me, arms behind his head, snoring loudly. He was still shirtless.

Curious, I reached over and placed a palm over his head. No fever. Still…

I poked his cheek, "Zoro, get up," I said, poking a few more times. He didn't react at all, somehow snoring even louder. I gave up and took off my jacket instead, draping it over his torso. He gave me a blanket the first night here, I remembered. It was a way of returning the favour I supposed.

The cool air touched my bare arms but it wasn't unpleasant and made me awake.

_I've been slacking lately, _I thought, remembering my daily training. Instead I spent last night getting drunk. Shaking myself, I reached over and took the hilt of my sword. Then I hesitated. Right beside it stood the white hilt of the Wado, a complete opposite from the night coloured hilt of my current sword. It wasn't convenient trying to sneak around with a white sword that practically glows in the dark so all my swords in training were dark in colour. I wondered what it was like, to hold my old sword again.

I reached over and waved my hand in front of Zoro's face again. Out like a log.

I switched hilts and grasped the cold hilt of the Wado. A familiar feeling shot up my arm and the hilt moulded perfectly to the shape of my hand. The blade shone, still silver and smooth.

This was the first proper sword Father let me hold. The first sword I used to properly fight Zoro in that field. It held many memories. Even though when I last saw my face in its blade, I was years younger and much more inexperienced.

I sheathed the sword and replaced it in the original spot. The Wado was no longer mine; instead it went to someone who made a lot better use of it.

"Protect him in the future," I whispered to the blade. It didn't respond, obviously but the hilt glinted in agreement in the faint dawn light.

I took the hilt of my sword now, standing up as I did so. Distancing myself some few metres away from Zoro, I began practicing my swings.

* * *

It was around the 700th swing that the stars finally all disappeared and the dusk began getting lighter. The morning mist only got heavier, hiding anything within a twenty metre radius. My breath came out in a white fog, but I still didn't feel the cold. It was annoying that the chill numbed my muscles slightly though.

Zoro still slept like a log, not having changed his position at all. I found myself smiling each time I caught sight of him in my swings.

_701…702…703…704…_

I heard a creak.

I whipped around and sent a slash flying through the air. It was followed by a metallic clang.

I flinched and jumped forward instead, slashing my sword down. It was met by the same resistance. Suddenly the mist cleared and I noticed the surprised skeleton face staring back at me.

"K-KU-KUINA-SAN?" Brook stammered, his sword wedged against mine.

"Oh, it's you Brook," I smiled in apology and sheathed my sword, "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask the same of you," Brook said, putting away his sword as well. His reaction time was exceptional I noted; especially in this heavy fog.

"It's my watch tonight," Brook explained, "And it's always nice to wake up earlier in any case." He walked to the railing and produced an antique violin out of thin air. It seemed strange on him with his psychedelic outfit but he gave off the feel of a professional, knowledgeable musician.

"Shouldn't you be guarding the front of the ship?" I asked, suddenly wary.

"It's OK," Brook brushed off cheerily, "Zoro-san's always up there in the crow's nest keeping watch."

"I see…" I looked at Zoro, snoring loudly right beside Brook.

Brook noticed my eyes, "What?"

He turned and looked at Zoro sleeping soundly.

"EH? Zoro-san?" Brook exclaimed, "I thought you were in the crow's nest!"

Zoro just mumbled and turned away from him, still in a deep sleep.

"WAKE UP!"

Brook reached over and popped Zoro's sleep bubble with the bow of his violin. As soon as he did so, he waved the bow quickly over the railing, "Disgusting…"

"What?" Zoro sat up, clearly irritable. My jacket fell off him as he did and he looked down, "What's this?"

"I thought you were keeping watch!" Brook said.

"I had a good sleep," Zoro stretched, "So I slept for longer."

"Probably because you were actually warm for once," Brook said, inclining his head toward my jacket. Then he shook himself, "Wait, that's not the point. Please take over my shift now!"

"Yeah, yeah," Zoro yawned, getting up, slipping his clothes back over his chest. He didn't take any notice of me standing there as he left.

"Geez," Brook said, then he tilted his head to the side, "And also strange. Zoro always wakes up with the sound of a fight. He must have been in a really deep sleep."

"If he usually goes to sleep shirtless every night, I'm not surprised," I said, going over to pick up my jacket. It was slightly damp from the mist but wearable.

Brook nodded in agreement, "Well, I suppose so."

He raised the bow to his violin, "I usually play a song each morning. But since it woke everyone up, I've had to play my songs back here. Yohohoho!" He laughed at the end. I sweat-dropped.

"What should I play today?" Brook mused. He turned to me, "Kuina-san, do you have any favourite songs?"

"Huh? Songs?" I paused for a moment. Not much music stuck in my mind immediately. I was about to say 'no' when I remembered.

"There was one," I said, "But I can't remember what it's called."

"Can you hum it?" Brook asked, curiosity on his face despite not having physical features.

Surprisingly, the words came naturally to my memory, despite it only being a few lines. My voice carried over the air as I sang quietly.

"_Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo,_

_Umikaze kimakase namimakase,_

_Shio no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu,_

_Sora nya wa wo kaku, tori no uta…"_

There was a momentary pause and Brook made a slight surprised sound. Then his face suddenly broke out into a content smile.

"I see, this is your favourite song," Brook said. He took up position with his bow. Then he hesitated for a second, "It was a misty day like this when I played it too," he murmured. Before I could ask, he began playing.

The melody was smooth and calming, deliberately slow. Brook's voice was a lot better than mine as he sang the words that seemed learned off heart. They were as soft as a whisper of wind yet I heard them so clearly.

During a melodic part in the music, he asked, "Kuina-san, where did you hear this song?"

"When I was little," I said, "A large crew on a pirate ship were singing it when they were docked at my hometown."

"What crew was this?" Brook continued softly as he played.

I hesitated, "I don't know. It was night and I couldn't really see them properly. But one was wearing a hat and had a… a cape, I think? He was kind of drunk too. Their ship sort of looked like a dragon head."

Brook chuckled then, "I see." He began singing the song again and didn't speak for the rest of the song.

By the time he finished, the air had warmed significantly and the sun peeked over the horizon, its bright beams temporarily blinding me. Brook seemed unaffected as he finished the last note. His shadow was unbelievably long, considering his height. It completely towered over me.

Brook put down his violin. He took in the light, letting it touch each bone before he spoke again, "Kuina-san, do you believe in coincidences?"

"No," I said, joining him at the railing. In this world and age, there was no such thing as coincidences. Everyone knew that.

Brook seemed to smile beside me, "Nor do I."

* * *

The day turned out to be sunny after the initial mist. Everyone woke up cheerily as usual, except Nami who groaned about a hangover and began downing bottles of Sanji and Chopper's creation. Robin was more tactful about it, drinking glasses of it throughout the morning.

"We'll arrive at that island tonight won't we?" I asked Nami at one point. Sanji had insisted on making some cool deserts for the women. I received a generous sundae with fruit scattered around it. It was beautiful and even more delicious; but every second bite went to the small Mushi who still had a dominant spot on my shoulder. It munched happily in its bubble.

"Yeah, sometime tonight if we keep going at this pace," Nami replied, taking a bite of her own identical sundae, "Hopefully the island will have some kind of cove to hide ourselves in. But I never know what to expect here," she sighed irritably, looking at the sky as if daring it to oppose her, "Besides, especially if one of those idiots," she scanned the deck, "Are on watch tonight, they'll probably just drive us straight into the island."

"I'll go on watch tonight," I offered, feeding another piece of fruit to the Mushi. I was gambling here. If she allowed me to, I could quickly look at the island beforehand and plan the best places to eliminate each of them, depending on their strengths and weaknesses. It was crucial to know the environment you were fighting in too, so I had to ensure that.

"Really?" Nami seemed surprised at my offer but she shrugged, "Sure, if you want. At least I can trust you."

I didn't know why that last sentence nagged at me even as I smiled back. I was suddenly glad I didn't eat anything; my stomach was turning uncomfortably.

I heard a rumble. I blinked. Was that me?

No, it repeated, much louder. I looked up; the sky still seemed clear. There were a significantly bigger number of clouds but nothing out of the ordinary. At least to me; but Nami stiffened beside me.

She immediately set aside her food and called to the nearest member, "Franky, get to the steering wheel!" Franky nodded quickly and ran off. Nami wasted no time in turning to each member, "Chopper, Usopp, prepare the Coup De Burst, we might need it; Zoro, Sanji, Brook, the sails; Robin, hold everything down; Luffy, GET OFF THE FIGUREHEAD!" Everyone obeyed the orders without question, all except Luffy who just laughed in amusement.

Almost as if a switch was flipped, the wind picked up, until it was classified as more of a gale. It flew around the deck, picking up various items which Robin promptly moved to hold down with extra hands. The gale beat her hair into frenzy. Even my own hair, which was decidedly pretty thick and heavy, was blowing around my face like a curtain. I couldn't look anywhere without seeing navy.

"Should I do anything?" I asked in the middle of the chaos.

Nami turned to me, "Hold onto something. Oh wait, get Luffy off the figurehead if you can." She turned and ran to the steering wheel to direct Franky and get a better view of the situation.

I made my way to the figurehead, "Luffy, get back on the ship." I had to hold my hair to one side, except loose strands kept pulling free so it was pretty pointless. My fingers weren't providing the best grip either, still affected by the acid.

Luffy turned, grinning like a fool at Nami and Franky, "Look, look," he pointed at something far off, "The island's there!"

"What? Island?" I stepped up onto the railing for a better look but all I saw was sky that was rapidly darkening, "Luffy, there's no island." I looked at him questioningly. Was he screwing with me? But his excitement was evident.

"Right there!" he yelled stubbornly, pointing again. I tried to focus on the spot he was pointing but even activating Haki, I couldn't sense anything.

"Luffy, there's nothing there. You've had too much sun; just come on," I said, tugging on his shirt but he stubbornly stayed put. I couldn't even move him an inch.

"Luffy…" I said, losing patience.

The sky was approaching pitch black above me. The ocean reflected it like a mirror until the only colour was the Sunny. I wondered if Robin could help me hustle Luffy inside. From the looks of things, it would start raining soon. I turned to where I'd seen Robin but she disappeared.

"Robin?" I called, barely heard above the wind. I looked up to the sails but there was no sign of Sanji, Zoro or Brook. Where did they go? Above me, thunder cracked, resonating with a loud ringing in my ears. Every sound muffled in comparison to the cacophony of thunder.

Rain was falling, I was faintly aware. My body still didn't feel the cold but my hair was suddenly wet when it flashed past my face. Trails of rain ran all over the deck, sweeping over everything and running down the sides. The waves became more violent, as if roused from sleep and rocked the ship violently. I imagined Franky trying to control the ship, Nami guiding him with her knowledge. Strangely though it seemed the place at the steering wheel was empty.

"Luffy," my voice sounded completely different to how I last said his name. I turned back to him with a surprised gasp. Between my rain-soaked flurry of hair, I could see Luffy, turned into what I saw as a black mannequin. His features had melted into unseeing dips and curves of his face and his flesh was hard underneath my hand and didn't respond when I shook him. His clothes were still coloured but completely still and limp on his body despite the weather. As if he was a statue; a deaf, unfeeling, unseeing, unresponding statue.

The rain was pouring, coming down in torrents until I could see each individual fat drop as it flew past my vision. As the drops hit Luffy, they passed through him, like a sieve, but when they emerged out of him, they were coloured a deep crimson red. I smelled the metallic aroma before I even saw it. Blood.

In shock, my grip loosened on him and I looked onto the deck again, looking at it more carefully. I counted eight bodies, each coloured a deep ink black like Luffy, all unnaturally twisted on the deck. The rain passed through them too and accumulated in bloody puddles underneath their bodies. My own panting echoed in my ears, and the edges of my vision blurred, or maybe that was just water, I couldn't tell which.

_No._

With the thought, my hand clutched on thin air. When I looked at the figurehead, it was empty.

"Luffy! Luffy!" my voice echoed around the ship, louder to my ears than the storm. It was getting harder to see.

Instinctively, I leapt over the railing and straightened my body to fall faster. The wind whipped mercilessly at my face but it kept the hair out of my face. My eyes scanned as I fell and I found him, falling like a limp doll.

Reaching out, I grasped Luffy's arm, cold and hard as ice under my hand and turned my body, using the momentum to throw him upwards, against the rain which fell like arrows. Blood passed through his body and dripped on my face, quickly washed away by rain. The metallic smell was like the smell of home, I was so familiar with it. Yet it overwhelmed my mind now, slowly making me black out.

The last thing I saw was that straw hat, spinning in the rain, unaffected by the storm. It was only its silhouette but I suddenly placed a head underneath it. I'd seen it, even before Luffy. Almost two decades ago.

_It looks familiar, _I thought before I plunged into the ocean.

* * *

"Kuina."

"Yeah?"

_What? I blinked but didn't see. My head spun and I felt dizzy. The metallic scent still lingered in my nose. Around me, a conversation was playing but at random intervals, as if a three year old was playing with the sounds on a keyboard. The sounds were soft, the words seeming to echo after being spoken. A male speaking to me, I thought as I listened. The voice that was supposed to be mine was several octaves higher though. _

"Have you ever heard… of the Prophetic Sea?"

"No, what's that?"

_A long pause._

"It's a sea in the New World… It's supposed to give you a look into your future."

"My future?"

"Yes."

_Little me made an admiring sound._

"I want to see it! My future!"

_No. No, you don't. My own mind spoke, as if the mini-me could hear. _

_You don't want to see the future._

* * *

I opened my eyes. The light almost blinded me after the darkness of my dream. But I didn't flinch. I wondered what I was doing.

"You're awake!" I didn't have to turn my head to see Chopper. He bounded above me, placing a hoof over my head. After a few seconds, he lifted it with a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. You're OK."

I didn't respond.

"I don't know what happened, but suddenly everyone on deck seemed to pass out," said Chopper.

That caught me. I sat up, "What happened?"

Chopper was surprised but wasted no time in explaining.

"Nami saw a cyclone coming so she started telling us what to do."

I nodded, I remembered that.

"But then, when I came out from the room, everyone passed out."

"Passed out? Everyone?" I said.

"Well, except Usopp. He's helping steer the ship while I take care of everyone. You're the first to wake up. Do you remember anything?"

"No, not at all," I began distantly but then I remembered. Blood, rain, twisted bodies. I looked around and realised I was in the women's quarters. Nami and Robin rested peacefully beside me, their breaths even and level. They had no wounds to which I was relieved.

"Is something wrong?" Chopper asked, concern in his voice.

"No, nothing," I said, leaping out of bed, "Excuse me."

"Huh— Wait, Kuina!" Chopper called as I left, running to the men's quarters. When I threw open the door, I heard a surprised yelp. I blinked and saw Brook with his arms in the air in shock.

"Kuina-san, you _must _stop doing that!"

"Sorry," I grinned, seeing him perfectly well.

"You don't seem sorry!"

I walked past him which only infuriated him more and checked on each member individually. They all slept soundly. I collapsed on the ground, suddenly exhausted. They were all fine, I was relieved. But my mind refused to sleep; instead it thought.

Why had we all collapsed? And even more strangely, we all collapsed at the same time, presumably. Quickly thinking, everyone on the deck had passed out but not those inside. When I'd passed out, I had a strange and scary dream. Was everyone the same?

I turned to Brook, "Did you see anything when you passed out?"

Brook settled himself comfortably on a seat, folding up his tall frame somehow. He seemed perfectly calm as he said, "Yes. I died."

I almost stammered, "What?"

"I died."

"You saw yourself dying?" I said.

"No, I didn't see anything."

"Then how do you know?"

Brook paused for a second, then said, "Perhaps just trust the instinct of someone who has died before."

That made me flinch. Sometimes, despite his appearance, I forgot that Brook had died once and been brought back to life. He just seemed as much a child as the rest of the crew and full of life. But in reality he'd lived nearly four times longer than me and had four times as much wisdom.

"Sorry," I said quietly.

Brook just grinned and shrugged, "Well, it doesn't matter since everyone is alive now. Why? What did you see, Kuina-san?"

I hesitated, not sure where to begin.

"I…" I stopped, trying to gather my thoughts. I didn't know why I was so shaken all of a sudden.

Brook didn't make a sound as he placed two tea cups on the table. He filled each one carefully, "Here, Kuina-san. Perhaps it's better to talk over tea."

I obeyed, just to have something else to focus on. I sipped my tea slowly, surprisingly calm. After a few seconds, I began talking. Everything from Luffy going off his head about an island to seeing the twisted, dead bodies of everyone to hearing Father and me having a conversation.

During the entire time, Brook did not flinch, not even once. He casually sipped his tea, his facial expression neutral and his posture relaxed. It was only when I finished that Brook finally seemed to stop being a statue. He placed his cup down but his body didn't move. Then he said, "Kuina-san, your second dream… your father's voice mentioned a Prophetic Sea."

"Yeah," I said.

"In the New World."

I waited but he didn't continue. Suddenly it clicked.

"We couldn't have just passed through a prophetic sea," I said, "And even so, what are the chances some random conversation from my _father _of all people would tell me?"

"Perhaps, but it is awfully coincidental," Brook said calmly, seemingly not noticing my subtle jab at my father, "I have already told you before I don't believe in coincidences."

"A Prophetic Sea," I said again, running a hand through my hair. Did something like that even exist? Apparently so.

"Wait," I said, snapping my head up, "If we passed through a prophetic sea… Then, you saw…"

"Death," Brook said, refilling his cup with a steady hand.

"How are you so calm? You just saw death!" I exclaimed. For a second, I wondered if everyone would wake up but no one even roused, "How does that not bother you?"

Brook paused. He probably would have blinked if he had eyes, "Well, Kuina-san, in my future, I am inevitably going to die someday. I already knew that, without having a sea tell me."

_Oh. _Brook thought the death he saw was a natural death, far, far into the future. That it was a death that was postponed for many years to come.

_But… _my eye flicked up to a clock that ticked in a corner of the room. 9:00 PM. _That's not the case, is it?_

The door opened and Chopper and Usopp entered, Chopper holding my sword which he gave to me.

"We've arrived at the island, FINALLY!" groaned Usopp, flopping onto his bed, "The anchors are down, everyone's knocked out and I'm sleeping, so goodnight." He rolled over and promptly fell asleep, true to his words.

"Usopp, that's my bed!" complained Chopper, waving his little arms indignantly. But then he sighed and jumped onto the next bed, "Ah, it doesn't matter. I'm so sleepy…"

"Sleepy?" I looked at the clock, "It's only 9…"

"Perhaps the Prophetic Sea's effects are settling in at last," Brook remarked. At my alarmed look, he smiled, "Don't worry. They won't have bad dreams."

I smiled sadly and turned on my heel, "You should probably get to sleep, Brook. I'll take first watch."

"All right," Brook stretched and gathered up the cups and teapot, "Good night."

I opened the door and hesitated before I looked back, "Farewell."

* * *

The ship was dark. I sat on the figurehead. I could hardly guard anything from the back railing so I hoped Luffy wouldn't mind. Even so, I could see why Luffy liked being out here. Providing you kept a good balance, it was actually quite peaceful. The waves rolled beneath me, folding inwards onto themselves and generating white foam.

"The Prophetic Sea," I whispered wistfully. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I saw my future. From the second I approached Luffy on the figurehead was when my future began. Luffy had jumped up and down screaming about some imaginary island.

Tomorrow morning, that's exactly how he'd react, I knew. He'd be full of energy as always, excited to see the new island.

Next, the world had gone completely dark. A storm brewed.

Next, the Straw Hats were killed.

That was my future. A dark world, a storm and death.

The future wasn't set in stone. I knew that much. And yet, as I straightened myself up and dived off into the ocean, carrying my sword with me, I knew one thing.

I would never escape from my future. Maybe parts of it I could alter but it never changed anything in the end. I was bound to the Celestial Dragons now and my future belonged to them. I was not their assassin; I was their slave and I had to follow through on every order they gave me. I knew it, Garp knew it when he seemed so regretful for me and Aokiji knew it when he called me 'naïve'. Nothing would change that now.

The reason Luffy hadn't paid attention to me and I failed to even budge him in that prophecy was because I was never there in the future.

I was on this island, waiting to kill my former crew.

* * *

**Pretty dark chapter I just realised, reading it over. xD**

**R & R~**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

It was almost pitch black by the time I arrived at the island's shore. I imagined everyone else would look like sirens stepping out of the waves but I looked more like a haggard survivor of a wreck, no thanks to my messy bed head. Luckily there were no lighthouses.

_Is this island inhabited? _I wondered, the soft sand muting my steps. I couldn't sense anything but perhaps that was a bad sign in the New World. I probed further into the island with Haki but only sensed dense jungle and craggy mountains. There were no humans here, I concluded. But that didn't mean other things didn't live here.

Behind me, the Sunny bobbed calmly on the rocking waves. With each tilt forward, it was as if telling me to go. Each one backwards urged me to come back. I shook my head at it slightly, my tangled hair swishing with my movement. The bobbing seemed to stop.

Without giving myself time to have second thoughts, I turned and ran forward, straight into the jungle. At first, I almost stumbled; in my haste, I forgot to pay attention to my surroundings. But as soon as I activated Haki, running became easier; albeit the jungle was so dense I really wasn't even running, more like a fast walk. To make things easier, I unsheathed my sword and sliced through the dense undergrowth in my path. By doing this, I could cover more ground quicker and also lead an easy trail for the Straw Hats to follow into a trap.

Suddenly the ground shifted and I gave a small cry as I almost fell over. Quickly I regained my footing, only to be slipping down the opposite side again. I reached out a hand and grasped a thin, but sturdy branch, glad that it seemed to remain still.

All around me, the ground shifted unpredictably, sinking and rising like tectonic plates in fast forward. Roots swung upwards into the air from uprooted trees and dirt flew everywhere. The branches weren't much better; fighting for attention in front of my sight. Then, before I could comprehend it, the ground fitted snugly back together again, as it was. Everything became still again and my vision became clear.

"What the hell?" I breathed, finding a safe foothold on the tree trunk. I hid myself in the foliage as if from some unseen enemy. Perhaps this was some Devil Fruit Ability; but I doubted that. Only an earthquake could cause something like that and Whitebeard had already died two years ago.

Unless…

I pressed my back further against the tree, somehow trying to make my spine mould into the twisted trunk shape. If Blackbeard was here, I really had my work cut out for me. But surprisingly, I heard no one. Blackbeard was arrogant and knew he was strong. He wasn't one to keep quiet and go for the silent kill. I relaxed and slipped out of the tree. No one attacked as I landed quietly on a boulder.

"Strange," I murmured, keeping my sword hand relaxed yet alert. The enemy wasn't showing himself. I leapt off the boulder, keeping to the trees as I went. Finally, I concluded there was no enemy or he retreated. I walked out of the tree line, waiting for an attack. None came.

Quickly, I let theories run through my head. The island had suddenly just suffered some bizarre earthquake out of the blue. But there were no such thing as coincidences. An enemy had just attacked me. I would sense him though. Or the Straw Hats had just come after me. But that was unlikely too. No one on the crew, strong as they were, could do something like that.

_It's just a typical New World island, then, _I concluded. I just had to figure out how it worked.

In the meantime, I couldn't get lost. I walked up to the nearest tree and carved out an arrow with my sword. But no sooner had I scratched it, the island bellowed to life again, creating massive fissures in the ground. I flinched and held onto the trunk until it calmed down again, repairing itself.

"So you're sensitive to pain," I noted. That explained the big reaction when I hacked through the undergrowth.

"Then…" I noticed a fallen twig a few metres away. I walked up silently and stepped on it, hard. The loud crack echoed through the clearing, sending up a flurry of birds from a nearby tree. The island shook violently; something like a groan escaping from the centre of the island. But I barely heard it; the only reason I did was because my senses were trained to pick up on anything.

And the birds. They didn't explode out of the tree noisily or send any leaves flying up into the air.

"It's quiet," I whispered, looking around as the island settled itself again. It reminded me of something before but I couldn't place exactly where.

_I better just be careful, _I continued around the clearing, listening for any sign of life. But the island was completely quiet, even scarily so. No matter how hard I looked, there was nothing; no animals or anything ever since the flock of birds and I was sure they weren't native to here. Even as I scanned the trees and ground, not even an ant greeted me.

After an hour or so of walking, I began to realise I wasn't reaching anywhere but dense bushland. Sitting down at the nearest trunk, I looked up to the starry night sky, still bright and twinkling. It was around 11:00 PM.

"The island reacts to noise and pain," I murmured to myself. Then, out of nowhere, I found myself completing the thought that had been nagging at me for almost an hour, "Like a sleeping giant."

* * *

Sometimes he reminded me more of an owl that a hawk. As opposed to Aokiji who dragged me out on early mornings, my new teacher seemed to have a tendency to go at night.

Tonight was no different as stars mocked me from above. The small boat I sat in was only a very basic and uncomfortable thing, but I wondered if I could nap for a few seconds and risk the reproach. The sword glinted on his back, suggesting I better keep awake.

"We're here," came his voice from the dark.

I stood up immediately, as better to avoid the sleepiness and followed when my teacher stepped off the boat to white sand.

"Where are we?" I murmured sleepily.

I wondered if my teacher was smiling then; one of his rare smiles despite how much time I spent with him.

"You'll find out," was all he said, walking forward a few paces, "Stay there."

I watched as he entered the thick forest, easily managing through the undergrowth without needing any light. Having exceptional eyesight had its advantages.

After a few moments, I began wondering if I missed something in my teacher said to me in my sleepy state. But then I sensed something and raised my sword to deflect it. It buried in the sand a few metres from me.

Upon inspection, I realised it was a golden cross, the same one he wore around his neck.

_He's is danger—? _No, I quickly cleared that thought aside. This was a challenge, a trial.

Immediately more alert, I wrapped the necklace around my wrist, having no handy pockets, and ran into the forest. More than once, a stray branch scratched my face or caught my clothes. When it became too annoying, I unsheathed my sword and cut through a branch.

A rumbling sounded through the island and the ground beneath me shifted. I cursed and grabbed a branch, swinging myself up through its foliage. I still had to clutch the trunk to keep from being shaken out.

"What kind of place did you drag me to?" I muttered, listening for him. But I heard nothing.

The island quietened.

_Left. _My instinct was immediate, pushing my arm up to deflect a slash off my blade. The slash ricocheted off, dancing between the leaves and fading to nothing. I watched in surprise. Something wasn't right.

"Eyes forward," the command was quiet but I didn't miss it. My body obeyed it and blocked a blow from my teacher. With some surprise and delight, I realised he was using Yoru.

Without missing a beat, he turned and slashed towards me. The edge nicked the trunk. I widened my eyes in surprise. That was a blatant mistake but he seemed perfectly composed.

The branch swung from beneath me and I fell over air. I flinched but raised the flat side of my sword as my teacher's sword plummeted down, point first. It hit the hard metal and shook my arm joint with its momentum. The pressure drove me down through the air.

"Haki, Level Two," I whispered, swiping two fingers over the edge. The light reflected off his face and my sword immediately felt lighter.

I swung, pushing the weight off and landed on my feet. Opposite me some metres away, my teacher landed as well. Already his sword was raised, sending a slash that travelled just over the ground like a swooping bird. I swung my own sword, sending a Haki-infused cut. When the two collided, a force exploded over the clearing, sending the island into uproar again.

As leaves torn from their branches flew past my face, I finally understood.

In the midst of the smoke, I ran forward. He could probably see me through the dust already anyway.

He hadn't moved at all, a solitary statue despite the explosion. Those golden eyes watched my every movement as I ran. His hand adjusted his sword.

I raised my sword arm, turning the blade side-on. Then I swung both arms.

The two crevasses I made in the ground ripped through the earth, tearing through dirt, rock and tree. And for one second, I had the satisfaction of seeing my teacher's wide eyes before it disappeared again.

The island shook violently, howling at the thick crevasses I made. I leapt as it shook, straight for the kill.

The rumbling didn't affect my teacher the way I thought it would. He stayed perfectly balanced despite the earthquake. Quick as a snake, he ducked forward and, with a flick of his wrist, clipped the sword out of my hand with the edge of Yoru. The tip pressed against my neck when I landed. My sword skittered across the ground, just before a crevasse. The rumbling ceased. The night was quiet again.

_I failed, again. _

His golden eyes surveyed me for several long moments. His sword didn't drop, pressed against my skin.

Finally, he spoke.

"That was a surprise," he said simply. His eyes flicked down for a second, to the small cross hanging loosely from my wrist, its blade still faintly coated with the mist of Haki. His sword dropped and he sheathed it.

"I don't know how you keep finding these places," I said, looking around, "Like a sleeping giant," I murmured.

"Improve next time," he said, "You were too slow to realise the island's ways and didn't change your sword style accordingly. That is why you lost." He didn't say I was wrong.

With that, he walked past me, his boots clicking slightly on the cracked ground. It wasn't until the cool metal brushed against my wrist that I turned, "Here; your cross."

"Keep it."

I stopped short but he didn't change pace, expecting me to follow. After a second, I slipped the cross down my wrist into my palm and threw it at him. His hand shot out to catch it automatically, his eyebrow raised.

"I can't be an assassin wearing something like that," I said.

There was a pause.

My teacher suddenly burst out laughing, a loud sound that reverberated through the forest. I was surprised the island didn't throw a fit.

"You're naïve to think you'll be an assassin forever," he said as his laughter died down into an amused smile.

I glared at him, "Why do you suddenly want to give me a present anyway?"

He looked back unflinchingly, "Aokiji gave you a memento," his head inclined to the sword perched precariously on the edge of the crevasse, "I thought it was only proper I do the same."

"Even so, I can't wear it."

His smile was still present, "Then, on the day you're no longer an assassin?"

I didn't know why he was so persistent on the matter; especially as I wasn't even an official assassin yet.

"You give one to every one of your students?" I said by way of reply and walked over to pick up my sword, sheath it, and follow him out.

"Who knows," he remarked, stepping inside the boat, "You're my – and Aokiji's – first student."

* * *

_I'm still too slow. _I opened my eyes to the break of dawn. The rays peeked over the tips of the trees, casting long shadows mixed with spots of light.

"Sorry, Mihawk," I got to my feet, stretching out the uncomfortable cramps from sleeping curled up against a tree in freezing weather. The sun instantly seemed to warm everything up. My sword hilt was covered with a thin layer of frost when I gripped it.

It was fortunate no wild animals inhabited this silent island. My body felt completely rested and alert. A faint wind blew through the leaves, stirring them gently. The island was awake.

Carefully, making sure not to damage it, I climbed up the tree that served as my bed. After a few moments, the tree moaned and moved, creating small, almost unnoticeable ledges in its bark. I climbed up quickly, pushing off them.

"Thanks," I whispered, settling onto the branch, careful not to disturb any leaves. The tree only moulded back to its previous smooth form, silent as a ghost once again.

I leaned back against the trunk with my sword beside me, focussing intently. It wouldn't take long for the Straw Hats to realise I was gone. It would take half as long for them to gain the trust of this island too. I had to act before that happened.

Suddenly, a chilling wind swept through the clearing. It was cold, even to me, making me shiver.

As I contemplated this, the wind seemed to become even colder, sweeping through the clearing until the leaves were almost ripped from their stems.

"It's afraid," I realised. I pushed a sliver of the sheath off my sword so a fraction of metal winked back at me. The island hadn't reacted violently yet, so I assumed it wasn't harmed.

It was just a presence, strong enough to scare an island. My grip on the hilt tightened.

"Kuina-san…!"

I almost fell out of the tree at the familiar voice. Brook? But, I couldn't see him.

"Kuina-san…!" The voice was getting closer. The wind became even more chilling, if possible.

"Ah, it's cold!" the voice cried, "But then, I don't even have a body! Yohohoho!"

_No body? _I was getting increasingly more confused.

"Oh wait, I have to look for Kuina-san," the voice scolded itself, "Kuina-san!"

A flash of green appeared in my vision, floating like wisps of smoke. When it turned, I caught a glimpse of its face.

_You've got to be kidding me. _

"Kuina-san!" called Brook's soul, floating around the clearing, unaware of my presence. The wind blew violently, scared out of its wits.

Brook fought against the wind, "This island is so windy!" he cried as the force blew trails of his soul behind his 'head', "Please calm down!"

_How do I even fight him like that? _I was certain ordinary attacks couldn't kill him in that form. His body was likely still on the ship. If I attacked the solid body, perhaps that would kill him. But I couldn't reveal myself now without being seen.

Then… I commanded Haki to the sword, coating it in thin wisps. Maybe Brook's form just had similar properties to Logia-types. If that was the case, I'd be extremely lucky.

"Fight. Kill. Succeed," I whispered to myself. Then I launched myself out of the tree.

Brook sensed me a second before I reached him. He narrowly dodged out of the way, "Kuina-san?" he screamed.

I landed on the ground and turned on my heel, immediately jumping again to slice at him. He screamed and dodged each of my slashes, all the while yelling my name.

"It's me, Brook!" he cried, ducking downwards, the trails of his soul following him, "It's just my soul!"

I didn't reply, just focussing on the kill. I hadn't made contact with him yet to see if Haki really affected him.

"I'm Brook!" his soul cried as I continued slashing at him. But I didn't listen, instead running each of Mihawk's lessons in my mind.

"_Don't focus on where your enemy is, but where he will be."_

I focussed, sensing Brook's movements.

_There, _I threw my sword upwards, point first and pierced through Brook's soul. His voice cut off, mid-shout and his form scattered into puffs of green smoke.

But the battle wasn't done.

I watched as Brook reformed himself, each of his features coming back into view. So Haki didn't work. Or perhaps it wasn't strong enough. I didn't know which.

"Now see here!" Brook shouted when he completely reformed, taking on an indignant tone. His head seemed to expand in anger and puffs of angry smoke surrounded his face. It would have been comical if we were in any other situation.

"Why are you attacking me?" demanded Brook's soul.

It was such a direct question. I could have answered truthfully; it was obvious I wasn't the same person he knew. But for once in my life, the job I'd been so proud of never made it out of my mouth.

I just turned, in the direction of the ship.

"Don't ignore me!" yelled Brook's soul.

"I already said farewell, didn't I?" I said quietly. I had no idea if he heard me, and I didn't wait to find out.

I ran.

* * *

I'd never run so fast. The ground was just green blurs beneath me as I ran. I had to be quicker than Brook in reaching the ship, otherwise I was truly cornered.

The island seemed to feel my urgency. As I ran, the tree roots retracted towards their base, out of my way, and any rifts or stones sunk into the ground, making it smooth for me to run over. Even the branches shrunk out of the way as I passed.

Finally the edge of the forest appeared in my vision. Behind me, I could hear Brook's frantic shouts. I didn't dare look back.

There was one major disadvantage in that Brook could fly to the ship, whereas I had to swim. But my eye spied a loose vine draping from a tree on the very edge of the forest. I had one chance with that.

Running to it, I grabbed it, never stopping pace and swung myself into the air. For a second, I was soaring over air, weightless as light. But then, I felt pressure in the vine and it swung upwards with momentum, sending me straight up and out. At its highest peak, I let go, soaring through the air, rather than over it.

_I won't make it. _The railing of the Sunny was in sight; would I fall short or over? As I began to descend, I unsheathed my sword and thrust it forward, digging it deep into the side of the railing. My momentum carried me down for a second, threatening to snap my sword. Miraculously, it hung on, supporting my weight.

Panting and rushing with adrenaline, I pulled myself up and over the railing, tumbling onto the deck. A deep gouge remained in the railing as I pulled out the blade and scanned the deck for Brook's body. I found it, slumped against the mast.

I ran towards it, raising my sword, avoiding the hollow eyes of his skull. The death should have been easier; no blood, no screams. Yet my hand shook so much, sending wisps of Haki all over the place.

_I already said farewell, didn't I? _I swung down.

_Clang._

"Should have known," I said, my hand trembling. But it wasn't from fear; in fact my muscles were light as if relieved. My face was impassive, slipping into its usual mask before a kill. This wasn't different. It wouldn't matter if I killed them now or in a year.

_The wolf lives for the hunt._

His strength pushed against mine, our swords separating our faces.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he growled. For once, Wado was not in his mouth but in his hands, pushing against my sword. White against black. It seemed ironic.

I didn't reply and pushed off, sliding back. Zoro glared at me from his protective position in front of Brook, sword turned side-on towards me.

"Answer me, woman!" Zoro yelled. I was surprised the morning was still quiet. The crew didn't rouse.

"I already said farewell, Zoro," I said, raising my sword. I ran forward, meeting Zoro halfway. Our swords clashed, pulled apart and collided again in a series of cuts. Zoro's movements matched mine perfectly and I answered each of his attacks with my own. The attacks were so quick, I couldn't distinguish one slash from the other and the metallic collisions of the swords melted into the next, like an endless melody.

Finally we pushed apart. I was panting, driven by adrenaline alone. Zoro was still glaring at me, his swords completely on the offensive. He had to unsheathe his other two swords now, fighting in his normal position. My arms ached with his power behind his attacks. It was a wonder my sword was still holding on, or that the ship didn't suffer any damage.

Brook's grey body lay behind Zoro. His soul was likely rushing across the island or sea, hindered by the strong wind and force from our attacks. It would be so easy to kill him if Zoro wasn't in the way.

He was always in the way, I thought. From the very first second he arrived at the dojo, he was always in my way. Father preferred him as a swordsman over me, he shared the same dream I did, he stopped me from doing my job on Fishman Island…

And he was standing in my way now. There was only one way I could get him to move.

_Why couldn't you have stayed a pirate hunter?_

"Don't get in my way, Zoro!" I yelled, returning his glare now. A rippling sensation pulsed through me, unlike any adrenaline I'd felt before. Suddenly a new colour spun and wove itself into my sword blade; a faint golden wisp, in stark contrast to the metal-blue glow. I saw Zoro flinch.

I ran and clashed against Zoro's swords. I saw his foot slide back, even just slightly and a bead of sweat ran down his cheek. I didn't understand. My physical power was a lot lower than his. Zoro pushed me off, causing me to slide back.

"You're the most fucking annoying opponent," Zoro muttered, suddenly panting, beads of sweat forming on his face.

I blinked, not even reacting to the comment; I was too confused. Suddenly, I looked at the golden glow, woven through the other two colours.

"Unbelievable," I murmured. The third Haki was supposed to be rare; found in one in a million people. Yet the glow floated there, as real as the other two that I'd gained through years of training.

I watched Zoro brace himself and catch his breath. Then he charged towards me, bringing his swords down. I met them with mine, causing a loud echoing ring. I flinched as his sword began pushing mine further back. The golden glow was beginning to fade. It was only limited, I realised. My head throbbed slightly, the price to pay for the power after the initial high. It messed with my thoughts as I shifted to the defensive to block Zoro's attacks.

"Zoro-san!" Brook's soul floated to the ship and almost gaped at the scene, "What—?"

"Get back in your body!" yelled Zoro, never stopping in his movements. I had to increase my speed just to keep up with it.

"O-OK!" Brook hurriedly agreed.

The golden glow was almost transparent. My head still throbbed annoyingly. Brook's soul flew by me towards his corpse.

If Brook joined the fight, it would definitely take too much out of me, I knew. I was already pushing myself fighting with Zoro. I would have to retreat.

Again. Always retreating, never winning. That wasn't what I joined the Marines for.

"I'm not failing again," I heard myself mutter. If Zoro heard me at all above the ringing, he didn't react.

"Armament: Hardening!" I commanded, watching my sword blade turn a shiny black, "Dragon!"

A Haki attack exploded out of my sword as I slashed, taking on the form of a long dragon's body. Zoro flinched and got pushed back, shallow cuts appearing on his arms. It was only a small hesitation, but that was all I needed.

Brook's soul speeded towards his body, leaving me almost no time to react.

I threw my sword, watching it zoom through the air like a long arrow, straight for Brook's skull. I was betting everything on this one shot.

The green soul disappeared through one eye socket just as my sword reached the bone.

Clang!

"That was close, Zoro-san!" yelled Brook, raising his sword in the nick of time to block the point of my sword. It clattered to the deck uselessly, its Haki colour slowly retreating until it became a regular sword.

I sensed Zoro moving towards me, swords raised.

_Well, I tried, sensei, _I stayed still, waiting. I was defenceless, I failed too many times, I wasted too many chances. I wondered about Charloss; no candy, no heads; except perhaps the one of his former assassin.

"_Fight, Kuina!" _

The command almost made me jump in the silent air. But my body, so used to taking commands, even unarmed, raised and discoloured themselves of their own accord. They both rushed up to protect me, as reassuring as any sword.

_Why? _I looked at my arms, crossed like two iron swords.

Zoro leapt for me, something like satisfaction in his eye that I listened to him, as he swung his swords down.

The blow never came. A shadow loomed over me and I heard a surprised sound from both Zoro and Brook.

"Aokiji was wrong about you," I heard a voice say, presumably belonging to the man above me.

I felt a painful strike on the back of my neck in a motion too quick for me to comprehend. I had to stifle a cry as the ground rushed to meet me.

I blacked out.

* * *

**Note: After searching the Internet, I found nothing that supported the case of Haki working on Brook's soul form. So that was just an assumption on my part. However, if Haki does work on Brook while in that form… we'll just assume that Kuina's subconscious hesitance reduced the effectiveness of her Haki when she attacked Brook (since Haki is all about willpower) to the point that he was able to reform himself unharmed. **

**Second longest chapter so far! Ahahahaha! :D**


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

For the first time in a long time, I woke without dreams. But even when I opened my eyes, only darkness greeted me. If I couldn't feel my own heavy eyelids rising and falling in a slow, unsteady rhythm, I wouldn't know the difference between waking and dreaming.

I was so tired, hungry and thirsty. The spot behind my neck cussed at me with the slightest movement, as if the very tip of my spine was bruised. It probably was, I thought. Even in my deprived state, I knew the difference in pain between broken and heavily bruised.

My fingers could still move, for some small miracle. They felt somewhat stiff; and suddenly I realised something was wrapped around them, restricting full movement. From the feel of them against each other, I guessed they were bandages, but really thick ones, not like the light ones Chopper used to cover my acid burns. These were more of a hindrance, and not nearly as carefully done.

"Chopper," I whispered in a hushed breath, finding something familiar about that name. It had just slipped into my head. Somehow I thought it should be something I should know but when I reached back further into my memory, only blurry images greeted me. It hurt to search.

The room was so _dark_. I couldn't see more than a centimetre in front of me. There were no windows or gaps in the hard surface I lied against. Not even thin lines of light from the door were spared to me. I began to wonder how large this room actually was. Or where this room was. Or even _what _this room was.

_Was I dead? _

No, even death couldn't have this much pain or frustration.

I sucked in a breath, preparing my throat which seemed like a desert, it was so dry and yelled. But no sound came out, only some sort of pathetic wheeze-moan. My throat berated me angrily for the provocation, gradually fading into a mild itch.

How long have I been here? Not long enough to stink yet, though that didn't really tell me much.

_The third day._

The words appeared in my mind and retreated just as quickly but I grabbed them, preventing them from escaping. The third day, the third day.

"The third day," I half-wheezed as if saying them aloud would make me remember. It didn't.

A square of light suddenly appeared in the far wall. The sudden brightness was enough to make me turn away if it wasn't for that flaring ache at the back of my neck. I could only stare with a spotty vision as a figure approached me.

"Number 14~" sang a voice straight out of a gothic lullaby. Faint and dark, with just the right amount of sweetness to sound both completely innocent and sadistic. The voice could pass for either a boy or girl, something my mind was too tired to decide on.

A small silhouette danced among the spots, coming to stop in front of me.

My voice was so soft; I questioned whether I really said it or just thought it, "The third day."

"Huh?" that same voice sounded a bit condescending, "What was that, 14?"

"The third day," I breathed, "What is the third day?"

"Maybe Vegapunk damaged some part of your brain or something," that voice brushed off. A slight pause and then a dark yet cheerful chuckle; like one of those ghost kids in horror stories, "Wouldn't be the first one."

The third day, the third day. It kept nagging at me, a poor combination to the lack of food, water and comprehendible thoughts. I didn't even process anything this boy-girl was telling me, but I felt I had to at least say something, even if just to catch this person off guard.

"_What's the third day?" _my voice echoed in the room, bouncing off every surface, magnifying its volume. Even the small silhouette jumped.

"Like I would know!" he/she scoffed after the initial shock, "Crazy assassin."

For a second, I thought I'd get punched or something since I clearly couldn't fight back. The person exhaled loudly in an angry way too, a normal prerequisite for an attack of some sort.

Then the person turned on their heel and walked purposefully out, "I'll get someone else to check you tomorrow." Their voice indicated it was like asking someone to check out the local dump.

I didn't know where my voice came from after that last yell, or what it was saying; maybe from the surprise of not being hit. I didn't shout and it was barely above a whisper, "I don't have until tomorrow."

The figure paused in the middle of the square of light.

"Oh," their voice was a bit less snobbish, pausing for a moment, "Now I understand. You're Straw Hats' assassin."

The name rang something deep in me but again, surfaced with empty, blurry thoughts. I wanted to probe deeper but that voice spoke again, regaining some of its previous condescension.

"I can't help you, lady."

Then the door shut, leaving me alone to the darkness.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, night sky greeted me. Open, navy sky, stretching for miles and scattered over with silver glitter. It was windless night, warm and perfect.

My hands were behind my head as I lay outstretched on the grass, watching the stars.

Suddenly, I rose, my fingers around a sword hilt as I stood. My steps were muted on the soft grass against my boots. I was approaching a set of rooms, one of the windows lighted. As I reached it, I lifted a hand and brushed away the excess mist.

Inside, a crew consisting of nine people were eating around a large table. Two women, seven males, consisting of everything from a reindeer to a cyborg to a skeleton. All of them were each too absorbed in their own activities to mind the others.

A cheerful, laughing teenager in a straw hat was chewing his food contentedly while simultaneously handing over a tower of plates to a tall blonde man in a suit. The blonde just yelled back a response.

The reindeer was dancing around with chopsticks shoved in his nostrils and mouth much to the delight of a tanned man with black hair, clapping enthusiastically and laughing. Next to him, the skeleton attempted the same trick but panicked as the sticks disappeared into the hole of his nose.

The cyborg reached over to slap him on the back with a large hand. Somehow the chopsticks flew out, almost hitting the blonde man, much to his annoyance. The cyborg ignored him, guffawing loudly and continuing eating as if nothing happened.

One of the women, the brunette, was sitting some distance from the chaos, eating her food quietly. She only looked up every now and then to make an observing comment or giggle at a gag.

The last two, the fiery haired woman and moss-haired male were fighting over alcohol, both already flushed from previous drinks.

My eyes lingered on the moss-haired man, trying to see something familiar in his features. The way his face glared in annoyance or the way he angrily waved around a long scroll titled 'DEBT' before cutting it up into little pieces.

The whole scene was muted of sound as I watched it through the misty glass. Each of their expressions, from smiles to laughter to anger to horror to amusement to annoyance to mock fear, I recognised them all from somewhere…

I turned then and walked away, leaving those strange nine people behind.

* * *

Sleep deserted me again. It was impossible to tell the time in my new little cell. It could have been noon for all I knew.

I sat up and attempted to stretch but my arms were trapped. I moved against the wall and listened to the clink of chains. I couldn't remember if they were there before. They were heavy steel, weighing down my body but admittedly slightly loose. Using thinner chains might have been smarter, I couldn't help but think. But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if the chains were actually meant for someone else before me.

_Number 14. _That was how that person addressed me before. 14 for what? It seemed unlikely I would get answers soon.

No one else seemed to have disturbed the room to check up on me, meaning it wasn't 'tomorrow' yet.

I could be waiting a while then before I could demand answers again. I settled back down, deciding to wait it out.

In front of me, far to my right, near where that square of light appeared, I heard a clink of chains and an almost inaudible groan. I stiffened for a second, pressing my back against the wall harder.

"Who's there?" I demanded, automatically trying to move my arm. It was trapped though and reminded me I was prisoner here, unarmed. My voice ran clear somehow though. I wondered if I was fed since being here.

"Huh?" a deep, scratchy voice sounded in the darkness. It paused for a second and then, "A female assassin?"

"Who are you?" I demanded again. From the clink of chains, he was probably trapped as I was. Though there was also a chance he was a guard here on patrol. I couldn't miss my chance to get answers.

Another movement, another clink of chains. This time, the chain scraped against the concrete slightly. After that, the man chuckled lowly, "Wish I knew, kid."

I had no idea what that meant. But I didn't push him either.

"How long you've been here?" the man asked, choosing not to elaborate on his previous statement.

"Wish I knew," I echoed him. I paused, "Probably not that long." I could hear the doubt in my own voice.

I felt movement again and the man giving a low grunt. Then I saw something flash towards me. It fell some metres away from me, skittering to a stop in front of my feet. It was metal.

"Can't lose your sense of time, kid." The man gave a heaving sigh, as if tossing it took the effort out of him, "Don't forget that."

I stretched out my leg; thankfully it was less restrained than my torso, seeming only to have a pair of shackles around my ankles. My foot reached the item and pushed it towards myself. When my fingers closed around it, I almost swore and drew blood. The blade of the slim, silver knife was almost blunt but still sharp enough to cut.

"Aren't you a swordsman, kid? Can't even recognise a knife when you see one?"

"How could you know that?" My fingers found the hilt. It was slightly wet. He used his mouth to throw it, I realised. That meant his arms were restrained like mine.

"You made a real commotion when you came here," the man replied heavily, sounding as if he were panting hard. I wish I could see him, "Loudest commotion in years. Practically impossible to not hear something."

"Sorry to disturb you," I said, feeling the cut. It was shallow and short. It would probably heal itself over a few hours.

"Nah, glad to have some excitement. Been a while."

He chuckled again, a low, throaty sound but it sounded forced. I didn't know why he was so casual, especially given the circumstances. The laugh was cut short abruptly into a series of coughs. They echoed in the room. It wasn't even coughs really; more like heaving wheezes, as if he were gasping for air.

I was about to ask him if he was all right but held back. He'd probably just retaliate with a sarcastic comment.

As soon as I thought that, he started chuckling again; probably settling back into a smile, still panting slightly.

I had no idea why this guy was even giving me a weapon. But if I remembered anything from Aokiji, it was never to fully trust anyone. For some reason, something told me I couldn't trust this guy to walk away just like he did.

I waited a few moments, mainly for him to regain his breath.

"Why?" I asked. The silence of the room made the word bounce around in echoes.

After the echoes faded away, silence filled the room again. I waited, and waited.

Silence.

I was starting to get pissed off, "Oi, old man!"

Like before, only echoes replied to me.

"Oi…" I tried to stand but the heavy chain wrestled me back down again. It was connected to the wall somehow. Heavy clinks echoed off each other as I hit the ground. I winced, feeling the silver blade narrowly miss slicing my fingers again. The old man didn't say an annoying comment this time.

I found the handle end of the knife and held onto it, determined not to make myself look like an idiot for the third time. Under my fingers, I felt an uneven surface, with something engraved into the metal. It was too dark to see though and I didn't want to lose the knife again. The knife that was spared to me by another prisoner.

"You old geezer!" I found myself unintentionally yelling. Maybe if I pissed him off enough…

No reply.

I was tempted to throw the knife at him then. Then again, it probably wouldn't make half the distance with my arms restrained.

I had a feeling that even if the knife stabbed him, I wouldn't hear him again.

I was alone in the darkness.

There was nothing to do but sleep, I thought, and wake up to darkness again. Then again, and again. Somewhere, I remembered there had been stories of prisoners in Impel Down that lost their minds to the darkness. Their screams echoed in the night, or say the stories. Some said the prisoners wouldn't have even noticed had they died, or had they aged. How could they?

_Am I one of those prisoners now? _How much longer would I have to be in the dark?

'_Can't lose your sense of time, kid. Don't forget that.'_

Was this what this is for? My fingers closed around the handle again. It felt cool in my grip, reassuring. But unlike in the weapon way, the way I'd always thought.

I flicked it up, feeling the blade spin in the air. When it fell, I moved and caught the handle between my teeth. Stretching my short chain to its limit, I twisted my neck and scratched a line into the hard wall. It barely nicked it, but it was enough.

I dropped the knife, hearing it clatter on the concrete and swept it behind my back, keeping one finger on its handle. It was cool, warming at my touch.

I could still feel this knife. When I couldn't anymore, I would be dead. But at least I'd know.

Eventually I slept, knowing I wouldn't be one of those prisoners, knowing the knife would keep me sane.

* * *

Another scratch joined the others on the wall. I was getting more efficient at doing them now, keeping the scratches even and straight. Or so it felt like anyway, considering I couldn't see them.

My muscles were beginning to numb over time with not moving as much as I'd like. Even stretching my arms was a luxury I missed. My stomach seemed to become quieter over time as well, until hunger became nothing more than a dull ache.

A new person came each day to check on me. All of them I couldn't stand; avoiding my questions and leaving cryptic messages in their wake. All of them called me Number 14, as well. Except one, a smirking man with the deepest voice I ever heard.

'_So the Excalibur has been pulled from the stone, has she?' he smirked, 'By pirates, no less.'_

I hadn't thought to demand for answers. My mouth moved automatically.

'_Maybe the stone should have put up more of a fight if they wanted to keep her so badly.'_

That hadn't been the right answer apparently, as the bruise on my cheek clearly showed. But I hadn't understood what he said; and now that I thought more about it, I should have held that comment and demanded answers instead.

_Stupidity is going to be the death of me, _I thought, brushing the top of the hilt, like petting a beloved cat.

With each day that passed, I kept wondering if I should be trying to escape. But, escape, to where? Half my mind was foggy and misty; I couldn't remember what I was doing and I didn't even know where I was, or where I should escape to.

Despite having a weapon, I knew it was worthless and stupid to escape now without a plan.

I needed answers, and I needed information.

Before I fell asleep again, something flashed through my mind; the image of a ship, of ocean surrounding me, but I was dry. I was hiding, sneaking around, a sword at my side. I had this thought then, too, whenever this was.

_Waiting is both a blessing and a curse._

* * *

I was awoken with a start. An arm roughly grabbed me and hauled me to my feet. My mind was slow, not yet registering what was happening.

"Hurry up!" a voice ordered and my head snapped to one side. It took a few slow, agonising moments to figure out I'd been hit, hard. His hand pushed roughly at the small of my back, forcing me forward a couple of steps. I almost tripped over myself in the shackles that were still around my ankles. Behind me, the short chain that connected me to the wall bounced against the tops of my thighs. He'd severed it somehow, judging by a quick look back that revealed a few centimetres of chain still embedded in the wall. With a sharp order, my head snapped back to the front. I winced at the new bruise on my jaw.

_Where am I going? Where am I? Who are you? _A thousand questions threatened to overwhelm me, all directed at this man shoving me forward. But as I stumbled past a hunched figure against the wall, one question jumped to the head of the queue.

"Who is he?" I abruptly stopped despite his shoving. I grit my teeth and held my ground. This guy was as strong as…

I blinked, my mind foggy. Who was it—?

"Move, girl!" growled the man, ignoring my question. For a second, I braced myself for another punch but then his hand just tried to shove me forward again. I didn't move.

"Who is he?" I repeated again, my voice firm and strong.

"Huh, so you haven't gone completely insane yet, girl? It's been a few days already. Most of them'd be screaming by now." The man laughed.

I whirled then, taking him by surprise. His stocky build wasn't built for dodging and certainly not from an 'insane' girl, who happened to be armed.

The blade pierced the back of one hand. Blood spurted from the wound and onto the silver metal and concrete.

The man swore loudly and released me, clutching at his bloodied hand, "You bitch!"

"Who is he?" I asked again, the knife hanging from one hand, dripping dark blood. _I'm not a prisoner._

"He's as fucked up as you are," growled the man, "He stopped being an assassin when he killed a Noble and fled to the Revolutionaries! Eventually an Admiral caught him though; severed his arms and dumped him here. Day after he got here, he killed a guard and took his knife."

"How long?" I said, my fingers tightening on the knife. Slowly and carefully, I slid it into the belt straps on my jeans. My clothes fell over it, concealing it.

"Before I started," he said, still irritable. I couldn't really blame him, "Thirty, forty years?"

I wondered if he heard my gasp. Probably not, since he was still muttering and swearing. Taking advantage of his distraction, my eyes had flicked to the space beside the body. In the dim light now, I saw scratches upon scratches, some overlapping others, some shorter, some longer, criss-crossed into an endless pattern. How many were there? Thousands? I wondered how the knife stayed so sharp.

"When did he die?" I breathed.

"Days after he got here," the man said, looking at me as if I were stupid, "Non-stop bleeding. The body's been there for decades. Vegapunk doesn't even allow us to throw it out. Research purposes, he says," he snorted derisively.

"It's worth researching him," I murmured. Vegapunk knew he wasn't dead, I knew that much. I smelt that metallic scent now I was closer, the scent of home. Was he still bleeding? How the hell did he stay alive?

And suddenly, hands were spinning me around and at my back again, shoving me forward, "Now hurry up, we've wasted enough time already!"

I could see the dim light of the door now, thankfully not blindingly bright. Perhaps it was night time?

As we approached it, I resisted the urge to turn and look at the man again. He was laughing as he died, I knew now. He didn't fear death.

Another shove, another step.

I didn't know his name, so I made one up.

"Thank you, D," I whispered as I was shoved through the door.

* * *

**So… more ideas have popped into my head (most of them during the middle of the night) and I improvised a bit throughout this chapter~ Anyway, R&R!**


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

I almost ran into a stone wall when the stocky guy pushed me through the door. I barely moved enough for my cheek to take the hit instead. I winced, wondering what that cheek must look like now. A yellowing bruise with a red mark on top and now a scrape on top of that. It felt numb when I used my tongue to probe the inside of it.

I turned, the heavy chain swinging behind me like a tail just to see the stocky guy move a large lock in place over the black iron door. With each movement, drops of crimson blood stained the stone floor. He swore again and wiped the back of his hand.

He turned to me with a steel glare, "How did you injure me, girl?"

"Chain," I answered, inclining my head to the severed link. With the way it was hacked off, a few sharp edges should be on it.

His look intensified but he turned, a large hand wrapping around the whole of my upper arm and jerked me forward, "Fine. Hurry up."

I walked in front – he was probably paranoid I'd try to stab him again – and he shoved me from behind. When I almost fell forward for the third time, I turned. He backed up for a second, preparing for another attack. But I simply glared at him.

"I can walk by myself," I said. My eyes flicked to his hand, the fresh blood running down his fingers, "You won't want to move that too much."

He glared right back but seemed to comply, "Just keep walking."

I managed to walk faster, so he wouldn't have to push me forward again. My eyes flicking around as I walked, I saw we were in some sort of earth tunnel. In even intervals along the contrastingly rough stone wall were oil lamps, lighted with small dancing flames. They flickered as we past them, casting long shadows.

The space was very narrow, designed for people to walk in a single-file. Even my stocky escort almost took up the entire space, like a boulder.

After a few minutes, I reached a fork in the tunnel, both roads leading to dark mouths.

"Go left," he instructed. I obeyed and we walked again.

A few more turns later, I spoke up, "Is this some kind of underground maze?"

"Shouldn't expect less from you assassins," he answered. A pause and then, "Assassins have a reputation amongst the Marines."

"So?" I was never around enough to hear this reputation assassins apparently had, but whenever I returned, I caught the general scheme of it. Ruthless hunters that would kill anyone, pirate or marine.

Ironically enough, it couldn't be closer to the truth.

I could almost feel a smirk in his voice, "That's why we had to set up this place, just for assassins."

We reached a flight of stone steps. I walked up, noting how the steps were wide and tall. I wondered what kind of people these steps were built for. Definitely not for me; I felt like a kid walking on table-tops.

Noticing another matching iron door at the top of the stairs, I moved to one side so my escort could unlock it.

I heard a click and creak. Then the door pushed open into much more brighter light. I blinked and moved automatically to shield my eyes. My arm only pressed against metal.

"Can I get these chains off yet?" I moved through the door, the metal clinking like bells.

"Not a chance," he snapped.

My boots clicked on smooth white ground. The room was blindingly bright, fluorescent lights reflecting off every surface. I glared down at my shoes instead, blinking to get the spots out of my sight.

Silently, four uniformed marine officers marched in step to either side of me. My eyes flicked to their hands. Armed, of course.

"What happened to your hand?" one officer asked, not completely unkindly to the stocky man.

"Better keep those guns at hand," he replied, only glaring at me. I smiled.

A gun barrel poked the side of my head with a bit more force than necessary. I lost the smile but didn't turn.

"Don't mess with us, kid," said another officer. I smelt cigarette smoke off his clothes. It reminded me of someone.

I only stayed quiet until the barrel dropped.

"Let's go," the third officer said and we walked out of the unnaturally bright room, much to my relief.

Only to scowl again when the outside was no better, if not worse. It was noisy out here, bustling with uniformed men and women. Many stopped and stared when I passed, though I didn't look at them. They wouldn't have any concrete proof I was an assassin since our identity was always concealed to everyone, with a few exceptions; but as I was so heavily guarded, they could make pretty close assumptions.

I heard whispers, sensed stares, felt fear and hostility; all within a few seconds as I passed. My appearance didn't exactly help either; most probably including a slightly hunched posture, bruised, pale skin, among other things.

'_1__st__ Assassin… Celestial Dragon Charloss… Hawk-Eyes' student… Excalibur…_

…_Traitor'._

I stopped short at that, causing my guard to bump into me. The other four stopped silently, expecting me to keep walking.

I didn't; turning to the speaker instead, a short man with fear in his eyes. Must be a recruit, I decided. They did welcome new ones around this time.

"W-What?" he stammered, one shake away from backing up.

"Say that again," I said lowly.

At that, one guard took my arm in an iron grip, "Stop."

At this point, everyone in the corridor was staring, deathly silent. I could hear the recruit's rushed breathing above anything else. No one dared intervene.

"I dare you to say that again," I said, a note darker.

Although visibly shaking, the recruit didn't run. I admired his courage, I'd give him that much.

He returned my gaze evenly. His voice shook, "You betrayed the Marines. You let the Straw Hats live!" His voice continually got louder as he spoke, until the last word ricocheted off the walls.

"Straw… Hats?" That name again, but this time I knew I wasn't going crazy. Only blurry recollections surfaced at the name.

"Oi, recruit!" barked one of my guards suddenly, even making me jump. When I turned to look, he seemed slightly shaken underneath his stern face. I felt it around me, the guards readying their weapons. For what?

"Yes!" the recruit did back up now, his voice highly strung in fear.

The guard looked at me, his eyes searching mine. I blinked back. He seemed to visibly relax.

"Go… go train," the guard finished, "I will accept no gossip within this establishment."

"Yes, sir!" the recruit said and hurriedly escaped the scene.

The guard that was gripping my arm seemed to remember it was there. He let go, leaving a faint mark in its wake and turned, "Come on." He turned around again for a fraction of a second, "Don't cause any more incidences, Excalibur."

I followed this time and we reached the next door without incident.

"Where are we?" I said, standing in front of this new door. It was isolated from the rest of the building, only accessible through a long, winding corridor. I could only guess how many hidden traps were in that corridor alone from the number of times one officer had to refer to a piece of paper to avoid them.

Even the door stood in a league all on its own; a humongous structure that towered over me. It was simple metal, polished to perfection and reflecting our faces. About halfway up the door were many locks the size of my escort. They appeared to be a slide-in lock with a gigantic mechanical cog connected to all of them.

Next to us, a scanner with a keypad underneath it beeped to life.

My guard punched in a long code until it gave a second beep.

"Sir," he spoke into it.

"Is she here?" a computerized voice spoke.

"Yes."

"Bring her in then."

With an almost silent turn, the cog spun, pulling each of the locks open. The door opened a fraction. It was dark inside.

"Do I go by myself?" I asked when nobody moved.

"You should only be so lucky," one guard said, inclining me forward.

I moved through the door. It shut immediately behind me. I heard the lock click back in place.

"I apologize, Excalibur," said that computerized voice, "Only so few people can see my laboratory."

"Why am I here?" I said, not caring for his secrecy, "And can I get these damn chains off now?"

"Oh yes, those." A pause and then the chains fell in a pile at my feet. I blinked, surprised they actually came off. I rubbed my arms and stretched, smiling at the feeling. But then I realised he never answered the first question. I set my face, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Your trial, Excalibur." The voice spoke emotionlessly.

I felt something spinning to me in the dark. I reached out and caught it. There was no mistaking the sword hilt in my hand. It wasn't mine – I frowned at that – but it was a weapon.

"A trial?" I questioned.

"Will you accept, Excalibur? Or will you run here?"

I pulled off the sheath of my sword with deliberate slowness, "I won't run."

I could almost hear the smile, "Good choice."

I heard a noise and then I jumped. A yellow beam struck the ground, sending sparks and momentarily lighting up the room. The force blew me back and I caught a glimpse of large figures in the room. Definitely more than one… more than five. Only then did it occur to me how large this room was.

"Round one," the voice announced.

"Pacifistas," I muttered, landing against the wall. I pushed off towards the figures.

About five beams all shot my way. Sensing each of them, I spun myself, weaving between each of them. The last one singed strands of my hair. I winced but righted myself, swiping two fingers over my sword face.

"Haki, Level Two," I commanded. The wisps spun up the sword as I descended. I twisted my sword, face down.

A hand shot above me. I barely took in a breath when it slammed me down to the ground. The impact made me choke back blood.

_F-Fast, _I thought; much faster than Pacifistas should be.

A hand descended down. I rolled out of the way as it pierced the ground, creating a large dent. Pants shook my body as I dodged another barrage of laser beams, scrambling across the floor. I couldn't distance myself too much, I knew. Long-distance would give them an advantage.

They knew exactly where I was. I rolled out of the way of another beam and ran forward again, avoiding each attack. A Pacifista intercepted me first, swinging an arm. I slid underneath it, leaving me a perfect target.

I swung upwards, slicing the hard metal in half. The pieces fell to the side as I slid past, bumping into something solid. It wasn't a Pacifista, I sensed.

_Keep track. Don't lose your sanity. _

I drove a line in the hard surface. One.

Without hesitation, a Pacifista made a grab for me. I jumped and ran along the top of his arm. A spark lighted to my right and I ducked, narrowly missing the laser beam. The Pacifista's other hand grabbed for me but I sliced it off, letting it fall below. Finally I reached his head, spinning to push off my right foot. I sliced through his neck, feeling it fall beside me.

I landed and scratched a line into the ground. Two.

Another light to my left and a Pacifista to my right. I braced myself as the laser fired and ran, dodging each beam. It charred the ground around me, the smell of smoke hanging in the air.

I reached the right Pacifista and ducked underneath its fist. But this time, I raised my sword to block it. The immense power crushed the ground beneath me, cracks spreading from my feet. I held on, my arms trembling.

I sensed the laser building in the Pacifista to the left.

"Come on," I hissed, my arms starting to lower with the physical force.

The laser fired.

At the same moment, I released 'Dragon' and severed off his arm. The Pacifista fell. I protected myself against the explosion when the laser beam connected, carving another line. Three.

A sharp piece of metal glanced off my arm and I flinched as it drew blood. When it clattered loudly in front of me, I saw a fragment of the Pacifista's face. Emotionless, cold, unfeeling.

_What I should be, _my mind thought. But instead, what was I?

A traitor? That's what that recruit called me. I couldn't remember; when did I betray anyone? A couple of possibly-inappropriate comments in front of a Celestial Dragon didn't count as betrayal, did it? Apart from that…

Wait. I suddenly remembered that weird dream with the nine strange people. They definitely didn't look it, but were they pirates? Did they fly a black flag?

A laser fired. I flinched and didn't react in time. A ripping pain tore through my leg and I stifled the urge to scream. My hands automatically found the wound, right in my thigh. How much of it was gone? Definitely a good chunk of it… was that a _bone_? In the pitch black I couldn't tell but my hands definitely came away crimson. The scent of home permeated the air but this time, I choked back the urge to throw up.

A Pacifista was flying towards me, releasing laser after laser.

I ducked, wincing at the pressure on my thigh, and dodged each one, jumping aside to avoid the Pacifista. I made the mistake of landing on my right leg as I usually did. A huge pain flared up when I landed. My cry of pain was only masked by the firing of another laser.

I scrambled out of the way, barely. It seared a part of my jacket. Suddenly I seemed to realise what another use for it was. Shielding myself behind a fallen Pacifista, I whipped off the material. Something crinkled in the sleeve but I ignored that, wrapping it securely around my thigh. There was a hollow space under one side, I realised with frustration. I probably tied it tightly enough to cut off my circulation but I couldn't bleed to death here.

_I won't end up like you, D, _I told myself, tying a double knot. I was breathing through my mouth by now, afraid if I didn't give it something to do, it'd make me puke. It hardly seemed better though; I could _taste _the blood in the air.

A Pacifista found me, throwing down a fist. I blocked it, deflected it, grunting. Almost immediately, I had to block another. Behind me, another fist descended.

"Armament: Hardening!" I commanded, raising my good leg. The blow connected somewhere on my calf. I grunted, _fuck, it's gonna break! _How the hell did…

What was his name…? The thought trailed off. There was _someone_ I remembered; someone whose legs could hold out a lot better than mine did right now.

The sword was barely holding out. I wouldn't be surprised if it cracked already somewhere. How many Pacifistas were there left? Seven?

I heard a distinctive crack. From the sword or from my leg, I couldn't even tell which.

But I had to end this quickly.

The other five Pacifistas were gathering, each building a laser in their mouths.

"Haoshoku Haki," I whispered. I had no idea if I could even control it. I had no idea if it would even work on Pacifistas. Did they even have a will to be overpowered? It didn't matter, it was my last resort.

"Level Three," I commanded. A golden wisp wove itself into my sword, albeit not as powerful as the first time but it was enough.

"Ittoryuu," I muttered, trying to keep the strain out of my voice. The Pacifistas moved closer.

"Tempest!" I yelled, spinning in a full circle, not allowing the Pacifistas time to react. A thousand Haki slashes released from my sword in a blur that human eyes couldn't see. Seven opponents, 143 slashes for each one. And one large slash that injured them all.

The Pacifistas blew away from me, not very far but enough to crash into a wall.

The sword blade fell away, clattering on the ground. The Haki left it and wrapped around the hilt, coating my hand in cool wisps. The golden Haoshoku Haki disappeared, leaving me a headache as payment.

I withdrew the Haki, dropping the hilt next to its blade. Then I pulled out D's knife and knelt. My legs couldn't stand. My jacket felt soaked.

One crash.

I carved a line. Four.

Another.

Five. Another line.

The crashes continued. I marked a line for each one.

_Don't lose your sanity. _

Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.

As I completed the last line, that computerized voice sounded, barely surprising me. I was tired; I wanted to black out.

"Congratulations, Excalibur," it said. I couldn't even move to say something back.

"However," the voice continued, "This is not the end. It is only Round One! Now we shall begin Round Two!'

I collapsed. The ground was hard, tainted with red and smelt like layers of metal. Despite my tiredness, the throbbing headache, the blood loss, my body still refused to black out.

Round Two. I still had to fight, even unarmed. The hunt wasn't done.

"_Fight Kuina!" _Someone shouted that at me once, I recalled. I couldn't remember who.

I truly am a wolf, I thought as I rose without a shake. I thought I heard a surprised sound from the intercom.

The lone wolf of the Marines… I obeyed orders. I lived to hunt, to fight, to protect. Nothing else.

When something shot towards me, I moved to the side automatically, dodging the attack.

"Armament: Hardening," I said, holding D's knife. My voice carried over, dark and emotionless. How I should be – I thought of that Pacifista. The edge turned black I assumed since I couldn't see it. But I couldn't fight with a knife like this. I needed a sword. It seemed obvious I wasn't getting another weapon apart from the broken one at my feet.

I touched the ground. Smooth, hard and cool to the touch. Perhaps metal of some sort.

I worked quickly at slicing the ground. Two straight lines.

Something collided into me and I was knocked back, landing heavily on my hip. I cussed and rolled to avoid another blow. Splinters of metal cut into my cheek and I bumped into something else. A Pacifista's body?

I felt a kick towards me and leapt out of the way. It smashed the Pacifista's body with a loud explosion. I heard metal snap.

_So easily… _my eyes widened unintentionally. A large block of metal flew past them, missing me by a millimetre. I still hit the ground when it did, the loud screech of metal against metal drowning out anything else. My ears rung.

Pacifista metal… The thought suddenly occurred to me; though admittedly it wouldn't be the prettiest thing.

I felt my opponent approach me and turned my knife.

Two straight lines… The knife barely managed to cut into the hard metal. The Haki was contributing most of the power no doubt. I could hardly feel my arm as I dragged it to make a rough shape.

Finally I lowered the knife back into my straps on my pants and thrust my hand into the Pacifista's body. I found the block I'd hacked out and made my fingers curl around it. Wire and bits of metal tangled in between them. I pulled, straining against some wire I missed severing.

"Come on," I hissed, even bracing my leg against the body to pull it out. Adrenaline was racing through me, doubling in speed with each step of my opponent.

Finally the wire gave. The thing was heavier than I expected, hitting the ground as soon as I got it out. I lifted it again, though I had to use both hands.

I felt light-headed and dizzy; even as I uttered the words, I knew they were slightly slurred.

"Armament: Hardening!"

The steel turned back at my command, all the way from the hilt I clutched to the sharp point I carved out.

Another shot I had to dodge, but this time, I slashed my sword too. I watched something fall to the ground and then something collided with me.

_A Pacifista? _I prepared to block and something long and slim collided with my sword face, almost instantly moving to attack again.

It wasn't a Pacifista, I was sure. I ducked to avoid an attack and blocked the next. Suddenly a flame ignited, lighting up the whole room and I saw then, a tall figure with his leg encased in fire. He attacked again, his kicks precise and strong. I had to deflect each one, moving in a blur of movements to keep up.

Electricity cracked overhead. I looked up, just as a huge lightning bolt struck down.

I twisted, avoiding his kicks and knocking my opponent's neck so he fell forward. The lightning struck, sending an aroma of burnt metal into the air. I glanced back, watching the remaining dancing sparks. The lightning was _real. _

Electricity was buzzing again, this time in front of me. I watched as a ball of electricity swung towards me, a thousand tiny static shapes buzzing within it. I jumped to avoid it and swung down, slicing the wielder.

Twisting on my heel, I turned and held my sword horizontally to block two swordsmen. We clashed for a while, each perfectly synchronised with each other. I slashed back, blocking when necessary.

I sensed an opening and twisted between two slices, each from one swordsman.

"Dragon!" I commanded. The attack burst out, blowing back the two opponents. I was panting hard. My sword was fading, turning from black to steel again. Are there any more opponents?

Yes. A large presence towered above me. I turned and raised my sword in time to block a large fist. The force cracked the ground beneath me.

"What are you doing, Chopper?" I whispered, strain evident in my voice.

_Wait… Chopper?_

My sword faded.

Blood gathered in my throat as the large fist connected with my body, crushing the steel against me. The ground cracked even more, sending chunks flying. My sight turned white, then black. The pain was _excruciating_. A rib definitely broke. Maybe two.

"Chopper…" I groaned, as the limb rose. I tasted blood. Where did that name come from? I could barely think straight when I sensed something.

Something appeared on my shoulder, though I couldn't see what. An image flashed through my mind, the sight of my neck twisting backwards.

I swore and jabbed the thing with my weapon. It seemed to disappear, only to be replaced by another. I cut each of them away.

A flash.

A sword cut down and I rolled out of the way, knocking myself against pieces of the uneven ground. It caught the jacket around my leg and sliced it. I flinched but the wound was numb, not yet hurting. Or maybe I really did cut off my circulation.

The pain that flared when I smacked it against something made me think otherwise.

The sword was swooping down again. I blocked it with the knife I hurriedly pulled out, discarding the makeshift sword. Somehow I knew the steel, even of a Pacifista's, couldn't withstand it. I was easily being overpowered as it was until I finally just had to push off with as power as I could and run.

He was pursuing me, I could feel it. Catching up too, since I was practically stumbling along.

Something shot towards me. I ducked and jumped, avoiding each one. Once they connected with the ground, there seemed to be an explosion. Perhaps it was some sort of compressed miniature bomb.

Another shot towards me and I ducked, but at the last moment, the bomb split up into five.

_Shit!_

I dodged four. The last one caught me on the leg; my good one luckily. If it had been my injured one, I wasn't entirely sure it'd stay on. The explosion still hurt it like hell though, especially when I landed on it as I fell backwards. Instinctively I tried to stand but the pain rendered both my legs useless. I felt my new injury, glad to find it considerably better than my laser one. Not that it really mattered at this point. I could hear the swordsman, very close to catching up. I had no doubt what other opponents I had were coming towards me too.

_What do I do? What do I do? _My body was too damaged to execute any of my usual combinations. Haki wasn't working, and I didn't even have a sword!

Wait. There was one type of Haki I hadn't used yet.

Would it work again? I already used it once. I was certain my willpower was wavering dangerously. How could I overpower anyone else's will in my state?

I heard a slash behind me and rolled to the side, feeling the cut trim off the ends of my hair.

My opponent was practically on top of me.

_Three swords, _my mind seemed to decide that was something important to notice.

But then I connected that image to a face. _Green hair, three swords, shirtless…_

What was his name?

Three swords cut down at once.

A flash went through my mind; the image of me, bloodied and cut on the ground.

_Why does it matter? _My mind asked myself.

'_You should be dead.' _That seemed true enough. Why did it matter in retrospect? Enough people already wanted me dead anyway, including him…

I suddenly remembered who said that. He was the same one who told me to fight too. Why was he here? He couldn't have gotten caught by the Marines… Unless… He's here on purpose.

And suddenly I felt pissed.

"What are you doing, Zoro?" I shouted. The sound reverberated off the walls, the ceiling, the floor, echoing long after I thought to shut my mouth. A headache had formed again, beating painfully against my skull in tune with my racing heart. It didn't help that I could even feel the pulse in my neck joining in.

I felt the edge of a sword not a centimetre away from my face.

It fell.

I let out a small yelp and scrambled to the side to avoid being cut. But the swords just clattered on the ground, followed by the thump of a body.

Was he unconscious? I could barely hope but I took the chance to flee the scene, searching the ground for my jacket. My leg was bleeding again, I could tell from the scent. Even if I wanted to beat the crap out of Zoro, I had to be conscious to. Soon I would probably start to black out. Not that I'd be able to tell.

But then my fingers found the knife again. Yes, I could.

Still, I crawled along until I found the uneven surface again and my fingers brushed against material.

"Found it," I murmured, quickly snatching it up and retying it around the wound hastily. A rustle sounded again. A piece of paper?

I quickly ignored that. With everything else, I couldn't care less about paper.

The paper rustled again, as if demanding my attention. Somehow, I became slightly miffed at the paper, as if better things didn't need my attention; such as random names and phrases and dreams and bits and pieces of information and keeping from blacking out.

I grabbed it, just to stop the rustling.

Light filled the room. Spots filled my vision, though not as violently. Perhaps they were getting used to abrupt brightness. Because of this, I was able to see the newspaper; thin, pale layers dyed in a dark shade of blood. It was still damp too, which made me flinch.

But it didn't hide the words that were printed there, in blocky, clear letters.

'_**WORLD NOBLE ANNOUNCES A 'HUGE ASSASINATION THAT WILL SHOCK THE WORLD'**_

And just like that, I remembered everything.

* * *

**So… we already know the government's pretty corrupt. So I thought to add my own story with Kuina and other assassins. What really happens to them when they can't finish their job?**

**Ideas? :D **


End file.
